Come The Rain
by Kadi219
Summary: [Raydor/Flynn] - How much distance can a few miles put between two hearts? When one of them chooses to retire, what is the other to do?
1. Chapter 1

**Come the Rain**

 **by Kadi  
Rated: M**

 **Disclaimer:** It isn't my sandbox. It is my favorite place to play, however.

 **A/N:** As always, thanks to the amazing beta **deenikn8** and the wonderful twin **kate04us**.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

It was raining; one of the rare downpours that would settle over the city for a day or two. It would leave the pavement steaming while humidity would hang oppressively in the air. Then the rain would start, and when it inevitably stopped, the air would be just a little cleaner and the city would seem bathed and new again. It never lasted for very long, but the rain did occasionally arrive.

Sharon used to love a good rainstorm. She liked to watch the clouds roll in, build and darken. She would stand and watch the lightening streak across the sky, mesmerized by the flashes and patterns. She would stand on her balcony until the first drops fell and let the breeze wash over her skin while she enjoyed the anticipation that built with the crackle of energy on the air.

Those first, fat drops of moisture would chase her inside. She would back into the apartment and stand with the door open until the downpour began to splash inward, threatening her rugs. It would be a night for curling up with a book and a glass of wine. Perhaps she would even light a few candles and enjoy the rumble of thunder while she relaxed in a hot bath.

Tonight she let the storm wash over her. She stood with her face turned toward the sky and let the rain beat down on her. It soaked her hair, left it hanging in sodden curls that were plastered to her neck and shoulders. Her dress clung to her body, the material cold and uncomfortable against her skin. She disregarded it, along with the chill that was seeping into her bones.

Sharon opened her eyes and stared at the city beyond her balcony. The rain came down in sheets, like a wall separating her from the rest of the world. Just as it had separated her from the fading sight of taillights as they disappeared into the distance.

All she could think of now was just how much she hated the rain. It was raining when he left her.

 **MCMCMCMCMCMC**

" _I see that you are all packed." The observation was made as her gaze swept the room. Gone were the books that lined his shelves, the pictures that had adorned his walls. There were boxes stacked neatly along one wall, and as she had passed it, she noticed many more were already filling his car. The rest would be shipped; he was taking with him only what he needed while he waited for the moving van to arrive._

" _Yeah." A hand passed over his hair. In the last few years it had grown more silver than the salt and pepper it once was. He supposed that was to be expected, considering how close to sixty he was getting. "I taped up the last box a little while ago. The van gets here tomorrow, everything is labeled and ready for the movers." Andy walked over to the bar that separated the kitchen from the small living room. "Except for this one." He took a small box from it and carried it back to her. "It stays with you."_

" _Oh?" Sharon turned slowly. The small house suddenly seemed so large with everything packed away. He had donated or given away the furniture that wasn't going with him. His recliner was tagged for the movers, and she almost smiled at that. Of course he wouldn't leave that behind. She watched him set the small box on a stack of other cartons and took a step closer. While she projected a sense of casual curiosity all that she could really feel was the building ache at the back of her throat and the tight clenching in her stomach. She leaned toward the box and peered inside._

" _I found some things when I was packing," Andy explained quietly. "A couple of books, a sweater, and a few things that were in my laundry." He managed a weak smile as he nudged a carefully folded scrap of silk that was tucked beneath her sweater._

" _Mm," she folded her arms around herself. "I wondered where those had gotten to. I should have known." As she inspected the contents of the box, her brows lifted at the sight of a familiar blue t-shirt. Sharon reached into the box and fingered it gently. "This is not mine," she said softly._

" _No," Andy took her hand. "But it always looked better on you." It was the faded, old LAPD t-shirt that she always managed to confiscate after they made love. It wasn't as though she did not have a few of her own, acquired over the years of her long career. Still, she seemed to like his best. Andy drew her close; he let his arms slide around her body. "You'll just have to bring it with you," he rumbled quietly, "when you drive up in a few weeks."_

 _She laid her hands against his chest. "Yes." He hadn't voiced it as a question, but she could see the doubt in his gaze. "I need to see this cottage that has stolen your heart." The home that he would be living in now, that was so very far away; several hours by car, half that time by plane._

 _His son was living in Sacramento now, and with Nicole and her husband moving to just north of San Francisco with their children, he was feeling more distant from his children than he ever felt during the years his access to them was limited. Now that his relationships with them were stronger, the miles apart seemed insurmountable. With Nicole expecting a baby in the spring, it was understandable that he would want to be closer._

 _He was eligible for his pension, and how much of his time with his children had been sacrificed over the years for the sake of his job? His drinking? There were any number of excuses and reasons that were just not worth the lost time and memories. He worked very hard to rebuild those bridges, to strengthen those bonds. It was just so hard to find issue with his choice to retire. How could she? She was proud of the work that he had done to grow closer to his children again. She was proud of him for putting them first; before his job, before his friends, before even her. No matter the ache, the pain of loss that tried to take root inside of her, despite her attempts at the contrary, Sharon knew that he had made the right choice. He wouldn't be the man that she had come to care so very much for if he had not chosen his children._

 _It wasn't as if he would be idle either. They could take Andrew Flynn out of the LAPD, but he was still a cop at heart. When he first began entertaining the thought of going north, he explored job opportunities around both Sacramento and San Francisco. What he found was a small coastal community several miles north of San Francisco with an opening in their local police department. A former LAPD homicide detective with a good record was an enticing prospect for a little town that was losing their Chief of Police to retirement. It was busy work; the most stressful thing that town had to worry about most days was which teenager was throwing eggs at some poor curmudgeon's house. It was mostly paperwork. Sharon would find that endlessly amusing if it weren't for the fact that it was so far away, and that she was losing one of her most experienced officers._

 _She was losing a lot more than that._

" _Not my heart." His hands slid into the thick curtain of her hair. He tipped her head back and looked down into her eyes. He watched the shifting hues of her irises, the way emotion played in the lighter shades of green and gold. His thumbs stroked the line of her jaw, and the familiar curve of her cheek. "You know, that invitation is still open, it's not too late." He spoke quietly. His voice was thick and rasping in the quiet room._

 _A sad smile curved her lips. "I know." Her hands curled around his wrists. She leaned into him. Sharon knew that she didn't have to tell him again that she couldn't leave. She couldn't join him. That he asked her to meant so much. They had been talking about moving in together when the news of Nicole and her husband's move north had come. Rusty was enjoying dorm life. Her nest was once again empty, and it seemed only natural that the relationship that had started after her divorce would progress to the next logical level._

 _Her life was in Los Angeles, however, as was her career. It was where she had raised her children, and it was where they came to when they were home. It was where Rusty was, even if he was a few miles away. She still saw him often. Her adopted son dropped by almost constantly; it was only his physical address that had changed. She could retire so easily, and yet she wasn't ready to take that step. The very idea of leaving behind everything that she knew had filled her with such overwhelming panic, she simply couldn't do it._

 _No matter how badly it hurt._

" _I will see you in a few weeks," Sharon said instead. It wasn't meant to be an end, this move. They both knew better, however. Absence did not always make the heart grow fonder. Miles of separation did not always bode well for the parties involved. He knew her schedule, knew only too well how busy the never-ending stream of cases that would come her way would keep her. It would be that much more chaotic without him. She would need to hire a replacement, and that thought filled her with a deep, terrible ache. "You will have to show me around."_

 _Her voice hitched and he felt it in the answering tightness of his chest. "I'll be back down before the holidays," he promised. They would be moving back and forth between the two locations, just as often as they could. That was the promise they made, and yet, it wasn't nearly enough. He wasn't leaving_ her _; he was only leaving the city._

" _Yes." Her teeth scraped across her bottom lip. "You should really go now if you are going to make it to Morgan Bay_ _before midnight." Her hands stroked down his arms. She offered him a watery smile._

" _Yeah." Now that it was upon him, the idea of leaving wasn't so easy. He lowered his head and let his lips hover for a moment. He felt a tremor run through her. His hands slid down her back and he gathered her close. Her mouth shifted beneath his, her lips parted. When he tasted salt mingled with her usual sweetness, he realized that the moisture pooling in her eyes had given way to tears. It wasn't meant to be goodbye. It was only his geography that was changing._

 _So much had already been said. Sharon drew back, even as his thumbs swept over her cheeks, smoothing away the tears she tried so hard to hold back. She walked with him to the door and waited as he locked it behind him. She was silent as he loaded the box of her things into the backseat of her car. She leaned against the driver's side door and took those few, silent minutes to regain her control. When he stood back, she smiled brightly up at him. "Call me when you get there?" Sharon shook her head. "No matter how late."_

" _I'll call." As often as they could stand. He leaned in and kissed her again. "Go home, Sharon." His eyes lifted toward the sky. "Before the bottom falls out."_

" _Hm." She shrugged. "I like the rain." Then she smiled at him, because he knew that too, only too well. Sharon drew a breath and stood straighter. "Okay, off you go." If they were doing this, then it needed to be done now. The longer they lingered, the harder it would be. "Key." She held out her hand for it. She was dropping it by the realtor in the morning. Her fingers closed around the cool metal when it dropped into her hand. She held it tightly; let it bite into her palm._

" _Bossy." He hesitated for a moment. Then Andy reached for her again. His hand cupped the back of her head and he drew her to him. He kissed the top of her head and turned away. "Don't be too hard on Provenza. He's not good at playing by himself."_

 _Sharon rolled her eyes at that. "Who is going to stop him from being too hard on me?"_

 _He laughed as he walked around his car, with far more levity than he felt. He looked up again when the first drops of rain hit the hood of his car. "I'll call you," he promised again._

" _I know you will."_

 _Their gazes met, held. Finally he folded himself into his car. Sharon drew her bottom lip between her teeth when the engine started. As it left the driveway and started down the lane, the rain began to fall. Soon the heavy sheets of rain were obscuring her view of the fading taillights, and soaking through the sweater and jeans she wore._

 _The rain she loved suddenly felt cold… she no longer welcomed it._

 **MCMCMCMCMCMC**

She let the shower warm her again. Afterward, with her wet things in the laundry and wrapped in a thick robe, Sharon curled on her sofa with a cup of tea. Beneath the robe, she wore the t-shirt, and as she drew her legs beneath her, she lamented that she could only just make out the scent of his cologne. It was fading, but time would do that. How long had it been since they were last together?

It started out well enough, although, these things always did. One of them made the trip at least once a month, her to him, or him to her. It didn't seem to matter. In hindsight, it was mostly Andy coming to her. She was seldom able to get away for an entire weekend. Too many times plans changed at the last minute and it was necessary for her to stay in the city. He came to her instead, but lately that had changed. He was too busy to get away, spending weekends with his step-grandsons to give Nicole and her husband a break as they neared her due date.

She could claim that she couldn't get away, and logistically that was true. Something had changed, and what that was exactly, she couldn't name. She didn't feel the same drive that she had in the beginning. Sharon no longer found the same satisfaction in a job well done. She still approached it with the same fervor that she always had, but she found it all so very lacking now.

Rusty thought that she was depressed. There was sadness there, surely, but it wasn't that. Her priorities had shifted. They had changed. It wasn't necessarily that her enjoyment in her work was lacking, it was that something else integral to her life was missing. Or rather, _someone_ else.

The only question that remained was what to do about that? Her life was in Los Angeles, and now his was in Morgan Bay.

Wasn't it?

 **-TBC-**


	2. Chapter 2

**Come the Rain**

 **by Kadi**

 **Rated: M**

 **Disclaimer:** It isn't my sandbox. It is my favorite place to play, however.

 **A/N:** Special thanks to **Katt** for helping this Texas girl out with the geography of the greater Bay Area. It was much appreciated!

Also - please note that the rating for this one has been upgraded to M for later chapter(s).

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

There was a familiar silver sedan parked in his driveway when Andy got home. He grinned as he pulled his car in alongside it. The sun was glinting off the paint. As he pushed the door of his car open and slid out of it, he turned his face toward the bright, streaming light. It was a warm day. The temperatures up here were cooler than he was used to in LA, but late January was giving way to milder weather. Even with the weather warming in Morgan Bay, it would still be cooler than Los Angeles. The sun was out at least, but the fog would roll in again as the day fell deeper into evening.

Andy shrugged out of his jacket as he let himself into his house. It was bigger than his little bungalow in LA had been. It was rambling, probably too much for one person, but he liked the location. He liked that he had plenty of room for the kids to visit. There was a room in the back that was just for the boys, and Nicole liked that too. She liked that he thought of the boys when he chose this place. He wasn't making selfish choices anymore. It wasn't only about him any longer; he was including the family in his thoughts of the future.

He thought that he had already come pretty far in that relationship with his daughter. Moving up here was the right choice. Now she was sending the boys to him on weekends, visiting when she could. It was good. It was nice; this was how it was meant to be. Even his son was coming around more often than he used to. Charlie lived in Sacramento, so it was still a bit of a trip for him, a couple of hours on a good day, but he was making it more often these days. For once in his life, Andy felt like things with his kids were _good_.

Something was still missing though, and he knew exactly what that something was. There was nothing that he could do about that, however. He couldn't fix it or worry about it; he had to simply let it be. Patience was not his strong suit. Neither was chasing after a woman. If she wanted to be with him, then she would be. They would make this work. Otherwise, it wouldn't. Andy knew how he felt, and he knew what he wanted. He couldn't live in a vacuum.

Those thoughts did little to suppress the sudden upswing in his mood upon seeing the sedan. Andy hung his jacket up and dropped his keys on the table by the door. He was already tugging off his gun and his badge as he walked through the house. The rambling structure opened up onto a deck at the back that overlooked the cliffs, and beyond that, the waves that crashed against the rocks that lined the northern California shoreline. The doors leading onto the deck were open. Andy left his gun and badge lying on the mantle above the fireplace before he walked out onto the deck.

It was a beautiful sight, and not only the shoreline. Sharon was seated in one of the deck chairs with her face was lifted toward the sun. She was wrapped in a sweater, the dark blue one that set off the lighter tones of her complexion and the red highlights of her hair. Denim adorned her legs, hugged her curves tightly. Andy took a moment just to admire her; the way the breeze caught her hair and lifted it away from her face, and the way her skin was flushed, warmed by the sun. He watched her lips curve, and her head tip to one side. She heard his arrival, and knew when her solitude had been broken.

Andy walked over and leaned down. His lips brushed the corner of her mouth. He watched her smile widen. "I thought you were going to fly up tomorrow morning?"

Her eyes fluttered open. Their green depths lit with joy upon seeing him. "I decided to drive." Sharon didn't want to wait for her flight, and there wasn't an earlier one, so she cancelled it. It wasn't a bad drive, several hours, but it was beautiful once Los Angeles faded into the background and the road opened up along the coast. It had been a while since she was able to make this trip, he had come to her just before the holidays and again right after. The weeks since had seemed to stretch entirely too long. She wanted the silence of the drive as much as she wanted to see him. Her fingers brushed the curve of his jaw. "I can go home and come back tomorrow if you would prefer."

"Like hell." His mouth, sliding over hers, cut off the soft lilt of her laughter. His hand slid into her hair and tipped her head back while he gave a more proper greeting. Andy drew her out of the wooden deck chair and into the circle of his arms. He felt her unfold against the length of him and gathered her familiar form close. When her arms looped around his waist, he let his slide around her shoulders. His fingers toyed with her hair while his mouth trailed a light path to her neck. Then he turned his face into her hair and inhaled deeply. "Missed you," he rumbled quietly.

"Hm." Her hands slid up his back. "So did I," she murmured. Sharon tipped her head back to smile up at him. "Only Rusty knows that I am here. My phone is off, and I refuse to answer it. Rusty knows how to get you if I am _really_ needed."

Andy squinted at her. "You're phone is off?" He leaned away from her. "Who are you and where is the Captain?" Her laughter was far warmer than the late winter sun. Her eyes lit with it, and her cheeks flushed again, for an entirely different reason.

"I tossed her out on the side of the road. No need to worry, I will pick the witch up on my way home." She leaned into him again. "It has been a while since I took an actual vacation and this is only a few days. It doesn't even classify as a long weekend. I think they will survive without me."

"You don't really think they don't know where you are?" Andy chuckled. "If anything goes down, my phone will end up ringing and we both know it won't be Rusty." He caught a lock of hair when the breeze lifted it and tucked it behind her ear. That was another thing that was different up here. It was far windier than they were accustomed to in Southern California. The breeze carried in the salty scent of sea, but it was without the underlying pollution that surrounded the city.

"There is that chance, yes." Sharon shrugged. "Oh, I know that they are under no delusions about where I am. I just expect them to respect my wishes about not being bothered this weekend." Her hands slid up and down his sides before finally settling at his waist. "Besides, that man owes me. He has put me through hell the last few months and as much as I need to see you, I just need a break from _him_."

Andy laughed. Yes, he could just imagine the kind of hell that Provenza had been putting her through. "You're the one that recruited Robbie Oderno to replace me. It was never going to go well, Sharon. You didn't expect him to do a jig about it, did you?"

"I hardly expect him to get out of his chair most days." She rolled her eyes at that. "Of course not, but Oderno has worked with us before, and there were not any better options." Her brow arched. "Unless you think that I should have hired Sergeant Elliot. He applied for the position, but I somehow thought that it might push a few people over the edge. The Lieutenant included."

"That's not even funny," Andy said drily. The sergeant from FID still worshipped the ground that she walked on, and he was pretty sure that there was a crush there too. Not that he thought that he had anything to worry about in that regard, it was simply a matter of them ending up with another starstruck newbie. One of Sykes was enough. Then of course there was the matter of having _two_ hall monitors on the team. No, it wasn't a laughing matter, not in the least.

"Who is laughing?" Sharon grinned at him in spite of it. "I felt very bad about having to tell him no. He is very well trained."

"I just bet." Andy rolled his eyes at her. "No, Oderno was the better choice. Just don't expect anyone to be thrilled about it." He didn't mind Oderno, and had gotten along with him pretty well. Robbie was a good cop, a solid choice for the division. The problem was how the others felt. They still harbored a little bit of a grudge at having been _stuck_ with him while Julio was suspended a while back. Andy pushed those thoughts aside, however, and tugged her closer again. He dropped another kiss onto her smiling mouth. "So the big, bad, Lieutenant was mean and you've run away from home. Remind me to thank him."

"Oh, he will _love_ that." Sharon chortled. She tipped her head back and kissed his chin. "You don't really mind, do you? If you had plans tonight, I can amuse myself."

"No." He combed his fingers through her hair. "I don't mind. I like knowing I've got you to myself for an extra night." He leaned down, nuzzled her cheek. "I mean, I'll have to cancel the date with my other girlfriend, but—" He grunted when she pinched his side. When she tried to push away from him, he held fast and kissed her soundly. He felt the laughter that trembled through her.

"You are a horrible, arrogant man," she mumbled against his lips. "I might have left my phone off and in my car, but rest assured, there is a beanbag gun in it too." She shivered and pressed closer. The air was chilly compared to what she was used to. It felt wonderful; even better with the warmth of his arms wrapped around her.

"First she breaks into my house," he rumbled teasingly, "now she's threatening me. You understand that we take threats to law enforcement very seriously around here?"

"Oh gosh." Her eyes got wide. "I would hate to get into trouble," she simpered playfully. Her bottom lip poked out and when he nipped at it, she laughed. "I suppose that I am out of my jurisdiction. That badge is not going to do me any favors up here, is it?"

"Not up here it ain't." Andy smirked at her. "Neither are those Captain's bars." His brow arched, he grinned smugly as he turned to walk back inside. "I outrank you."

Sharon blinked. "How the hell did we let that happen?" She gave a squeak when he gave her arm a playful tug and pulled her along behind him. She was laughing when she leaned into his side and let her arm wrap around his middle.

The inside of the house was much warmer. He helped her out of the cardigan and left it draped across the back of the couch. Now that he was no longer focused on the surprise of her arrival, Andy realized that there was something baking in the oven. He discovered with a quick glance that it was a vegetarian lasagna. Andy shot a puzzled look at her. "How long have you been here?"

"A couple of hours." Sharon walked into the kitchen and put the kettle on for tea. "I am surprised that you did not already know," she teased. "I stopped at the market when I got here. Odd woman walking around town, buying up all of the Chief's favorites." She fluttered her lashes at him, still teasing.

He snorted at her. "We're not that small. We get tourists and drive-throughs." He moved behind her and let his arms circle her from behind. His chin rested against her shoulder. "You should have called. I wasn't that busy."

"I know, but I was still decompressing. I didn't mind waiting. Besides, it would have ruined the surprise." Sharon laid her arms over his and leaned back. "How is Nicole? The boys? Tell me everything," she asked. When they spoke on the phone, they mostly discussed day-to-day activities, or plans for upcoming visits.

Andy smiled. "Good, she's doing great." He let go of her to lean against the counter nearby, but he tracked her movements as she checked on dinner and then pulled down two mugs for tea. He enjoyed how easily she made herself at home there, but then, the same rules applied for when he visited her. When they were together they didn't waste time on the pleasantries of being a guest, they were just _together_. It was about them; the rest of the world faded away. "She's got that glow, so…" He shrugged. "Technically it's her first. She's playing it all cool but I can tell that she's starting to get that nervous energy going, you know?"

"Oh, I remember." She chuckled. Sharon placed teabags in both cups and then turned to face him, arms folded and hip leaning against the counter. "First or not, nothing really prepares you for those last few months and the way that the excitement begins to build. There is something special, though, about the first time. It's all new."

"Yeah." He clasped his hands in front of him. "The boys are doing good. They're full of energy, as usual. Still dancing, but I think they might be starting to get excited too. The closer it gets, the more real it begins to seem. She's got a couple of months yet, but it's getting there. I know she's tired. She and Dean are going to send the boys up here next weekend. They want to finish putting the nursery together, and I think it'll be good, you know. It's mostly already done, but it will let them have some time together before the baby gets here. It's never really just been the two of them. And I like having the boys around, so…"

"I know." Her smile softened, warmed. It was why he had made the move. It looked good on him. Despite the heartache and the loneliness of being apart so much of the time, it was good to see him happy. "It's good," she told him. "It is. Now we just need to sit Nicole down with Ricky and Emily and she can spread some of that vibe to my not so dutiful children that will not even date." Sharon rolled her eyes at that. "I just do not know where I went wrong."

He barked a quick laugh. "Now you sound like a typical catholic mother. Been practicing that one?"

"Trying to." Her lips pursed while her head inclined. "It chafes a little on the way out. I just replay all of the things that my mother ever said to me, and oddly, it is just not that hard." When their eyes met, she laughed and turned away. "I think right now I am good with their career aspirations. I will just live vicariously through you."

"I can deal with that." He reached out and snagged her wrist. Andy drew her to him and let his arms circle her waist again. "I'm really glad that you're here." He was glad that she could make it this time. That their plans were not cancelled as they had been in the past. She made it a priority. It meant that there was a chance, however small, that distance wouldn't grow, and that they might be successful in traversing this long distance relationship they had chosen to pursue.

"Me too." She settled in his embrace and tucked her head against his neck. She had missed him; missed the familiar scent of his cologne, the way his cheek tickled against hers with late afternoon whisker growth. She missed the warmth of his arms, and the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear when she was curled against his chest. It wasn't about the thrill, the rush of the excitement, or even the sex. She missed _him_ , and the simple intimacy that came with being involved with another human being. The way he held her, the way he smiled at her, even the sound of his voice. She missed it all, but for the next few days, it was hers to enjoy, hers to hold onto.

 **MCMCMCMCMCMC**

The next morning, much to Sharon's insistence, they made the hour drive to Nicole and Dean's home. Not sure what his daughter's plans were for the day, Andy had called ahead. She was ecstatic at the idea. Nicole told him to come for lunch, and for the two of them to spend the day.

They had chosen to live outside of the larger cities that surrounded the Bay Area. They were both working in Richmond, which was situated just across the bay from San Francisco and north of Berkeley. They had decided to live a little further inland, however. Benicia was a lovely little town just along the Carquinez Strait. It meant that they had a bit of a commute, an hour each way, but when compared to Los Angeles traffic it was really very minimal. Neither Nicole nor Dean really minded the drive; it was beautiful; and now with Nicole pregnant she was working from home a few days a week. They both loved their new jobs, their new home, and the life that they were building. Nicole had been transferred by the company that they had both previously worked for, and although the firm was unable to find a spot for Dean at the same location, it wasn't difficult for him to find a job with the recommendations that his employers had provided.

When Andy and Sharon pulled into the driveway in front of Nicole and Dean's suburban home, Sharon flashed a bright smile at him before leaning across the interior of the car to quickly kiss him. She didn't wait for him to get out of the car and come around; she was sliding out of the car before he even had his door open. The reason for that presented itself in a pair of whirlwinds that had come from inside. Sharon met them in front of the car. She was laughing as she wrapped her arms around both boys. Nicole's stepsons both looked as if they had grown a few inches since the last time that she had seen them. Had it really been several months?

Even before she and Andy began dating their families had started becoming known to one another, at least those members who were local to them. Sharon had gotten to know Nicole and her family during those months when she and Andy had only been just very good friends. He left the car at a slower, more sedate pace. He wanted to give her this moment with them, and maybe, he was taking a minute or two to admire the way that she stood with an arm wrapped around each boy, laughing as both rushed through an excited commentary of just how much they had missed her. Amongst the boys chatter he could hear Sharon's lower tones, commenting on how much they had grown, and how handsome they were becoming. As Andy joined them, he noticed Nicole coming down the walk toward them.

"Hey you." He leaned in to kiss her cheek when she reached them. "Are you sure you didn't mind the short notice?"

"Are you kidding me?" Nicole had known that Sharon was supposed to be visiting this weekend; she had hoped they might come by… that was if their plans were not postponed. There seemed to be a lot of postponements lately. Her dad seemed to bear it well, but she worried about him. This move had not been easy for him, to change his life and his job just to be nearer to them. She loved him for it, but she saw the struggle. Her dark eyes lit up upon landing on the reason for her father's current smile. The sparkle was back in his eyes, and Nicole had been well aware of the reason for that even before the two of them had realized it. "We were so glad that you called this morning. Sharon, it's good to see you again."

She untangled herself from the boys easily to take a step forward. "You too." She caught Nicole's hand and leaned in to the brief hug. "Let me see you." The last time Sharon had seen her, Nicole was only just beginning to show. Now, only weeks from her due date, she was glowing, healthy, and round. Sharon took both of her hands and smiled brightly. "You are looking beautiful."

Nicole laughed. "We left beautiful a few weeks ago and headed into _oh my god is it over yet_? But thank you." She waved a hand back at the house. "Come on, Dean is manning the grill. It's a beautiful day, so we decided to take advantage of it." The temperatures were cool, but the sky was clear. With the sun out they wouldn't mind a bit of chill. Sharon had chosen a good weekend to make the trip north.

The boys ran ahead of them. Andy looped an arm lazily around Sharon's shoulders as they followed Nicole into the house. He turned his face into her hair and let his lips lightly brush the side of her head. As happy as he was to have everyone together, even for a few hours, there was a part of him that still ached. It was a part of him that was hard to silence. It was counting down the hours, slowly ticking them away until she would leave again. He turned his mind to enjoying the weekend, but it remained, right there, in the back of his head a quiet but ever present voice.

After lunch, while Dean and Andy guided the boys in cleaning up, Nicole led Sharon upstairs to the room that was being readied for the nursery. Already it was painted in delicate hues of green and yellow. They had chosen a crib and matching furniture in a dark cherry wood, with bedding in light, neutral colors. Nicole's baby shower was still a couple of weeks away, but she explained that they had chosen to not know the baby's gender prior to the delivery.

"Dean has done this before," she said, and offered a delicate shrug and a small, sheepish smile that was reminiscent of her father. "The entire experience was going to be new and exciting for me, but we wanted a way that we could experience it together, at least in some of the same ways."

"Yes." Sharon smiled as she lifted a small, stuffed puppy in a Dodgers uniform. There was no question to her mind where it had come from. "Andy told me," she glanced at Nicole and there was a warm smile curving her lips. "I think it's a wonderful idea. It makes the anticipation that much more exciting." Her head tilted as she thought back, her memories stretched across three decades. "I didn't know with Emily. With Ricky we did, and that was exciting in its own way, but every pregnancy and birth are different. One does not take anything from the other, but there was something magical about those first moments, seeing her for the first time and hearing that we had a daughter. With Ricky, we already had that experience. We wanted to know, and it seemed right to want to plan every detail right down to the nursery's trim."

"It was Evelyn's idea, to be honest," she said of her mother-in-law. Nicole stood behind the small rocker that had come from her in-laws. Dean and his siblings had been rocked in that chair. His ex-wife hadn't wanted it when she was pregnant with the boys. Now that didn't seem surprising, considering everything that Nicole knew about her, and that they didn't even know _where_ she was. "Evelyn thought it would be a great way to bring the new baby into the family and make it seem as… well, new," Nicole chuckled, "for everyone as it was for me." She shrugged again. "Dad is just thrilled about the whole thing, but mom… this is driving her crazy. Sometimes I don't know if it's the fact that we really don't know, or that I took Evelyn's advice that is driving her more insane."

"Oh, it is definitely the fact that you took Evelyn's advice." Sharon laughed quietly as she placed the stuffed animal back in the crib. "Trust me, if it were one of my kids, I would probably feel exactly the same way. I went through the same tug of war with mine when Jack's mother was still alive." She had tried to remain close to Jack's family after he left, but once his mother, Susan, had died, her ties to the family seemed to fade away to almost nothing. Occasionally the kids would get a card from his brother Grant, and she thought they might still hear from him from time to time, but Sharon knew that was his wife's doing. Sharon was well aware that Jack's father and brother blamed her, to some small degree, for not being able to mind him. For a long time she allowed that to bother her, to affect how she treated him, and how many chances she gave him. There came a time, however, when she realized that while they might have both had faults in their marriage, the only person responsible for Jack's leaving was _Jack_. "What you cannot do," Sharon said, and pushed her memories back once more, "is allow yourself to be caught in the middle. Blending two families together is never easy, but the balance will come. Before that happens, I promise you will become an expert in juggling."

"Well," Nicole flashed a wide grin as she pushed away from the rocker and moved around it. "My dad seems to have found me an excellent teacher in the subject."

Sharon laughed. "You cannot be talking about me." She shook her head as they left the room. "Believe me, honey, I drop more balls than I keep in the air."

"Oh, I don't know." Nicole's eyes sparkled deviously. "I have never heard dad complain."

"Oh my god." Sharon's eyes closed. She could feel her cheeks heating. She covered her face for just a moment. "You are all Flynn, child."

"I do have my moments." Nicole smirked at her. The glint in her eyes and the quirk of her lips could not be more like her father's. "You are the one that keeps coming back. You can't say that you didn't know what you were getting into," she reminded her. Nicole's smile softened. "We have missed you. Tell me that you will at least try to come back in a couple of weeks. I would love to have you here for the shower…" She had sent the invitation, but promised herself that she wouldn't ask beyond that. Nicole knew that it was hard enough on her father when Sharon couldn't make it, or had to leave again. At the same time, her own desire was much stronger. "I think that you and Evelyn would get along so well, and I know that it's terrible of me, but I love it when you and mom team up against dad and Charlie." Her parents still didn't have the best relationship, but when Sharon was around everything seemed so much better. Her parents were able to put the past behind them and forget the animosity, at least for a little while. Her brother, Charlie, was more apt to come around because he was more comfortable too. Nicole knew that it made Sharon uncomfortable when she labeled it, but to her mind, the _Sharon Effect_ was still a very real thing. It wasn't that she was any great magician, or that she was trying to put her on a pedestal, but Nicole knew that her father was different when Sharon was with him, and the tone that set could effect an entire situation.

Sharon would like to be there, and not just for the reasons that Nicole listed. The smile she offered the younger woman warm, but carefully optimistic. "You know that I would like that, but I am just not able to make any promises, Nicole." She wouldn't know until almost time to make the trip itself whether or not she would be free to do it. The scheduling gods did not seem to be on her side lately. She watched Nicole's lips turn down in a look that was so much like her father's that Sharon wanted to sigh. She shook her head and chuckled softly instead. "I will give you a tentative yes," she said instead. "If I can make it, I will." She felt the distance so keenly. It was not only Andy that she was missing, but also this extended family that they had only just started to build together.

Wasn't it funny? It was always their pasts, their jobs, and the outside world that she worried might pull them apart as they began building a relationship that went beyond the friendship they shared before. She never imagined that it would be life itself, that in moving forward they would find themselves travelling in different directions.

There was a choice. Sharon felt it looming on the horizon. It was moving steadily closer; rolling in like one of the thunderstorms she used to love. She was going to have to make a decision soon; they would both have to. It was a decision that she was not yet ready to weather. So she turned her back on it, and hoped that it would remain at bay for just a little while longer. The ground beneath her feet was not quite as stable as it once was, but for just a short time, she hoped that she could dance on this precipice without it giving way beneath her feet. She hoped that she would find stability in the growing winds before it all crumbled and she was swept away with it.

 **-TBC-**


	3. Chapter 3

**Come the Rain**

 **by Kadi**

 **Rated: M**

 **Disclaimer:** It isn't my sandbox. It is my favorite place to play, however.

 **A/N:** Please note the increased rating. **This chapter is Rated M**. In our first collaborative endeavor this chapter was written with my darling twin **kate04us**. The increased rating is all thanks to her amazing skill. That portion of this chapter is all her! 3 Thanks doll!

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

They spent the day with Nicole and her family. They finally left around late afternoon. The sun was already beginning to make its downward slide toward the horizon as they drove back toward Morgan Bay. The ride was mostly silent. They had filled the first half of the hour with simple chatter as they talked about Nicole and the boys, and the tentative plans for Sharon to return for the baby shower. As they got closer to Morgan Bay the chatter grew silent. With the day drawing to a close, they were aware of the ever-present ticking of the clock. Time was sliding away from them too. The farther away from them the day got, the closer her departure loomed.

When Andy took her hand, she offered him a smile. Already she was mentally rearranging her schedule for that next visit. She turned her gaze back to the window and while her eyes seemed focused on the passing scenery, her mind was focused inward. _She didn't want to leave_. Yet as much as there was to hold her in Morgan Bay, there was even more calling her home.

Sharon tucked it all aside, however, as they reached their destination. This time she was a little more reticent in leaving the car, and smiled again when Andy opened the door for her. She leaned into his side as they walked into his home. They closed the door on the world outside, on the silent ticking of the clock, and attempted to live in the moment that they had.

After dinner and while Andy was occupied with a call from one of his city employees, Sharon took a walk along the cliffs. With the fading sun the temperature had cooled considerably. She was wrapped in an old, faded denim jacket that Andy left hanging by the back door. She tucked her face into the collar as she walked, and felt a small smile tugging at her lips. She was surrounded with the smell of him. It was warm and comforting. This was something that she had missed during the long weeks since their last visit. With her hands tucked into the cuffs of the jacket's sleeves and her arms folded across her chest, she came to a stop along the cliff's edge.

Sharon's gaze swept across the small bay. It was more of an inlet really, but the small community had been built around it. She drew a breath and let it out slowly. The sun had already slipped beyond the horizon and dusk was upon them. The sky still burned in hues of scarlet and gold, but violet was creeping in. It was a beautiful sight, the glitter of lights that circled the bay. Shadows were cast against the sky by houses and buildings, and in the distance, near the heart of the town, she could almost make out the wharf. There were a couple of fishing boats, but it was mostly pleasure cruisers that were docked there.

She sighed again as she stood there. This was not her city view. This was not the shining lights in the gleam of glass and steel that she had come to love in Los Angeles. She closed her eyes and she could picture it. She could imagine that she was standing on her balcony. It was the view that had sold her on that condo. She had fallen in love with it immediately. She had the city and the park, and depending upon her mood, she could enjoy either. Sharon had neither of those here.

Her eyes opened again and she let her gaze sweep across the water. The tide was rolling in, and with it, the fog. She took another breath and let the cool and crisp air fill her lungs. It was clean. There was no underlying pollution. It was quiet where she stood. If she tried hard enough she could make out the sound of cars in the distance. On her balcony there would be no need of that. The sounds of the city were always present, no matter the time of day. Here she had the sounds of waves breaking against the rocks below. There was the rustle of the wind that was lifting her hair away from her face in the fierce redwoods that rose up all around them. It was a mixture of rocks and greenery this place. It was lovely.

It was a view, she thought, that she could come to love. The only question that remained was how she would feel if it was more than just an escape. There were so many thoughts at war inside of her head. There were things that she needed and things that she wanted, a sense of duty and her sense of family. All around her there was silence, but her mind could not be any louder than it was currently.

It was a rising cacophony of thoughts. For every reason she had to stay, there was another for her to leave. All of it was crashing together in a jumble of sounds and images. As her hands curled more tightly around the denim cuffs of the jacket, it stopped. Silence settled over her, and with it peace. Sharon smiled as she leaned back. Familiar arms circled her from behind. She settled into the warmth of his embrace and tipped her head to one side, let her forehead rest against the curve of his chin. _Andy_. Like the rising tide below, joy swept over her. She closed her eyes again.

She turned in his embrace and let her arms slide around his waist. The chill of the evening was forgotten immediately. The voices in her head were silenced completely. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at the man that she had never expected to love.

How were they to build a future together when they were miles apart?

That was what it had felt like, prior to the announcement of this move. They had talked about moving in together, about finding a place that would be big enough for both of their families. Then had come Nicole's transfer. How could she blame the girl who had earned a promotion and was doing the very best that she could for her own family? How could she blame the girl who was surging ahead in a world made of men? Wasn't that what she had fought for so many years? Wasn't she the one who had once spoken so proudly of being the Women's Coordinator for the LAPD?

No, she could not blame Nicole for this. It was simply life. How did the old saying go? If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans? There was no one to blame in this, the world that had she was living in currently. They were, all of them, doing the very best that they could.

Or were they?

She was holding on to a life in Los Angeles that no longer felt complete. What would happen if she let go, just a little, and allowed herself to be carried along? Would she find the happiness that was just inside her grasp, or would she be left reeling, grasping at nothing?

Sharon pushed all of that aside and leaned into the man that was standing in front of her. She allowed herself to be drawn into a kiss that was filled with passion and love. She would lose herself in this. In him. She would allow her mind to be silenced. What was there but the moment?

She went, willingly, when he drew her back toward the house. They had just this night, just a few more hours to indulge in each other. They would be apart again come morning. She would have to make the very long drive home. Until that moment arrived, Sharon put everything else aside. She thought of nothing else but the warmth, of the way that her body tingled when he touched her. She thought of nothing but the peace that settled over her when she was held in those arms. Nothing else mattered.

A decision was still looming. She would hold it at bay for just a little while longer. She wasn't ready yet to make that choice. There was a part of her that felt as if she was being pushed into a corner. She knew, more than anything, that it was a corner of her own making. There was no one to blame for the indecision that she felt but herself. Andy would wait for her, just as he always had. But how much longer could she really ask him to do that? For how long could she expect him to be patient?

Soon, her mind whispered. Soon she would choose. For now, there was him. There was only the quiet, the love, and the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below them.

 **MCMCMCMCMCMC**

Morning came much too soon. Sharon was lying with her head pillowed against his chest as the sky outside grew light again. They watched the sun rise beyond the sheer curtains that covered his windows.

Neither of them slept much during the night. It was as if, the moment that they closed their eyes, this visit would be over. Sharon let go of a slow breath and lifted her head. She rested her chin against her hands and looked up at him. She found him watching her. There wasn't much time left. All too soon she would be placing her bags in her car and leaving him. Her teeth scraped against her bottom lip at the thought.

It wasn't an image that she liked to entertain. Sharon let her hands fall to rest against the mattress on either side of him and levered herself up and over him. She smiled when his hands moved into her hair. It was lifted away from her face, pushed back as their faces hovered together. "We should get up," her lips moved against his. Her voice was soft, thick in the quiet room.

"Nope." They had some time yet. She had a long drive ahead of her but Andy wasn't ready to let her go yet. He rolled her beneath him and settled over her. His thumb stroked the curve of her cheek while the other traced the line of her bottom lip. "I'm not ready." Whatever time remained, however long that they had left, he was going to put it to very good use. If she insisted upon leaving him again, if they would spend the next however many weeks apart, it would be with one hell of a memory to keep them both warm.

Andy stared into her eyes, fascinated by the way that they changed from a deep emerald to almost black, he slowly moved down to capture her lips in a gentle kiss. He nibbled at her full bottom lip, teasing it with his tongue until she gave in with a moan. Andy loved to kiss her. In those moments time seemed to stop. Nothing existed but her soft lips and the erotic dance of their tongues. Wrapped in her arms, surrounded by her familiar, sweet scent, the world could not touch him and he wished that he could stay in that place indefinitely.

When he finally eased out of their kiss, Sharon hummed in protest, she wrapped her arms and legs around him to keep him close. Feeling her heat against him, eager and welcoming, the urge to sink into her was almost overwhelming, but he had other plans for her this morning. Andy wanted to make it last, to give both of them something to hold on to during the long weeks of separation that loomed ahead of them. He wanted to mark her as his. He needed her to feel his touch even when she was hundreds of miles away. He needed her to remember why she always came back, why they were worth fighting for.

It wasn't easy to escape her hold, but Andy knew her weak spots, his teeth scraped over that sensitive spot right behind her left ear. She instantly relaxed her hold, groaning as she tilted her head to the side and arched into him, giving him better access to her neck. It never took much to convince her to let him play. Sometimes she teased him about how much he enjoyed exploring her body, but she never complained. Sharon had long ago stopped protesting when he told her how beautiful she was, accepting that it was the way he saw her. He never tired of showing her.

Raising her arms above her head, she surrendered completely, and closed her eyes while she gave herself up to the pleasure his hands and mouth provided her. He trailed moist kisses along her collarbone and across her chest, painting random patterns with his tongue. His fingers feathered over her ribs, making her shiver. Desire shot along her nerves like lightning when his mouth closed around one of her nipples, one of his hands teasing the other one. He drove her close to madness doing nothing but toying with her breasts, kissing, nipping, kneading, or flicking a rosy tip with a fingernail.

Sharon was ready to explode, her entire being was filled with more lust and longing than she thought her body could contain and he hadn't even touched her below the waist. Maybe a big part of it was the intensity of the moment, the knowledge that this would have to last them for a long while. Maybe she was finally learning how to really live in the moment, to enjoy what she had and to let everything else go. And maybe it was this incredible man; this wonderful, loving man who had stolen her heart when she had least expected it.

When he moved down her body, his tongue following in the wake of his fingers, dipping into her bellybutton and along the faded scar just above her soft curls, she shivered and opened her legs to make room for him. She was on fire, her skin burning with the need to be touched, her insides throbbing in anticipation.

He teased her mercilessly, letting his breath feather over her, nipping at the inside of her thighs, mere inches from where she wanted him most. He let his tongue flick against her folds, barely touching her. She tried to move against him, to get closer, to find the stimulation she craved, but he could not be swayed, holding her down with a firm hand on her belly. He knew what that did to her, to feel him put pressure on that spot right above her pubic bone. And then his tongue finally found its way between her swollen lips, nudging against her sensitive nub.

A strangled cry escaped her as one of his fingers slowly entered her, closely followed by a second. She bucked against him, so close to the edge. It would only take a little more, a gentle bite or a slight curling of his long digits to send her over the edge, but he refused to take her all the way there. He took her right to the precipice, only to back off again. Then he did it again, and again, and _again_ , until she thought she would die from the pleasure. She was gasping for breath, the pounding of her heart drowning out any other sound, her skin glistening with sweat.

Suddenly the world exploded around her as he gave her the final push. She soared on a wave of pleasure that simply would not end. He kept her suspended in a place where light danced behind her closed lids, where there was no up or down and no beginning or end. It lasted an eternity and she was convinced that she had died, her heart and brain and lungs strained beyond what they could take.

The storm finally calmed down and she became aware of where she was again, her body was shaking with aftershocks as he gently caressed her with his tongue, clearly enjoying the evidence of her climax with his fingers resting inside her, motionless, as her walls gripped them tightly.

He would never tire of seeing her like that, absolutely unrestrained and selfish in her passion. It did not happen often that she let go so completely, giving up every bit of her precious self-control, putting all her trust in him. Andy wished he could bottle up this moment full of love and happiness and completion.

His own arousal made his position very uncomfortable, but ultimately it was the longing to kiss her, to share her essence with her that compelled him to move, kissing his way up her body. She reached out to him, cupping his cheeks in her hands as she dragged him down to her, eagerly seeking his mouth for a passionate kiss. Her legs wrapped around his hips, pulling him against her heat. She ground against him, whimpering as his thick length nudged against her clit.

"Andy, please," she moaned, her voice husky with arousal. Slightly shifting his angle, he slowly sank into her until he was completely surrounded by her warmth. Resting his weight on his forearms, Andy brushed a few damp curls out of her face with gentle fingers. Their eyes were locked in a tender gaze as they reveled in the overwhelming closeness of the person who held so much more than the key to their pleasure. He wanted this moment to last forever, knowing that once they started moving it would be over soon and then cruel reality would close in on them again. A reality that would take her away from him, that would leave both of them lonely and hurting, craving this closeness and counting the days until they would have it again.

When their desire became too strong to suppress any longer, Andy wrapped his arms around her and rolled them so she lay on top of him. His hands dropped to her hips as she sat up, grinning mischievously, her hands planted on his chest. She rolled her hips, closing her eyes and throwing her head back as he hit that sweet spot deep inside her. Together, they set a languid pace, one that took them on a slow and winding path towards fulfillment. She would have to leave soon, but neither one of them was willing to be hurried. They wanted this. They needed it. It would have to sustain them for many weeks and it was far too precious to be rushed.

They let their hands wander, memorizing every inch of skin they could reach, pausing frequently to share unhurried kisses, skimming along the edge of bliss only to withdraw again until, finally, they tumbled over together. It was not the mindless abandon she had felt earlier. It was gentle, and deep, and so full of love and quiet joy that it brought tears to her eyes.

For a long time afterwards, they held each other, arms wrapped around one another, legs tangled and cheek resting against cheek. This was their happy place, where nothing existed but two people in love, sharing the same air and the same heartbeat.

The room was silent, filled with only the sound of their mingled breaths. Outside the world was growing brighter. Light made its way through the curtains. It cast shadows in the room. Minutes ticked by, far more than either of them wanted to count. Sharon exhaled a quiet breath while her gaze moved over his face. She knew him so well, but still she took this moment to memorize the sight of him. She had seen him in any number of ways, in dozens of moods and locations. It was this that she wanted to take with her, however.

"I love you." Her voice was thick, barely above a whisper, as if by speaking she would cause the bubble that surrounded them to burst.

His fingers pushed her hair back, away from her face and behind her ear. His thumb stroked the curve of her cheek. "I know." It wasn't how they felt that kept them apart; their children came first, they had always known that. "I love you," he told her. Although he was loath to do it, especially in this moment, Andy drew his gaze away from her face. It flitted over the clock. They were going to have to get up. She would need to get on the road soon. He looked at her again and his eyes were soft. "Three weeks," he said.

"Yes." If she could make it work. She would be back for Nicole's baby shower. There were just too many _ifs_ in their lives at present. Sharon refused to think of all the things that could keep her away. She tipped her face toward him for one more kiss before they left this quiet sanctuary. "Just three more weeks," she whispered, and hoped that it was true.

 **MCMCMCMCMCMC**

Packing her car was something that Sharon did very slowly. Sharon tossed her purse into the passenger side and walked around as Andy finished laying her suitcase in the trunk. Her hand reached out blindly and wrapped around his as they moved together to stand beside her car.

Sharon leaned back against the driver's side door and looked up at him. There wasn't much sunlight this morning. Fog was still hanging heavily in the air. It seemed to fit her mood. It felt cooler, too, than it had been the previous morning. Her fingers slid lazily along his as their hands parted. She folded hers together in front of her. "It is only a seven hour drive," she reminded him.

"Be careful." It could take longer, they knew, depending on how traffic was around San Francisco or Bakersfield. Once she reached Los Angeles the highway would take her right to Los Feliz. She would be taking the 5, rather than the more leisurely route that the 101 offered.

"I thought that was supposed to be my line to you?" Sharon tilted her head at him and smiled. Up here he was on his own. It was a small town and he didn't have that much to do, but at least at home she had their entire team watching her back.

"I'm always careful." Andy grinned crookedly down at her, but gone was the sparkle that his eyes had carried all weekend. He was not looking forward to the minutes and hours that would follow her leaving. At least come morning he would be able to turn his mind back toward work, what little there was of it. That would tide him over until the weekend, and then he would have the boys to occupy him.

"Yes. I know." Sharon reached up and laid her hand against his chest, where his tie would have been. Her fingers stroked slowly downward. She sighed quietly and averted her gaze to his t-shirt. Her lips pursed. She was stalling and they both knew it.

"You should go." His voice rumbled quietly in the fog-filled morning air. Andy curled an arm around her waist and drew her toward him. "Call me when you get home."

"Hm." Sharon bent her head and let it rest against his chest. "If I don't leave now," she agreed. At least, she thought, he would know that it wasn't easy. She was just as reticent as he was with this parting. "I'll call you when I get to Los Angeles." She stood there, and when his hands moved to her shoulders, she lifted her head. She tipped it back and smiled up at him. "I should go," she echoed. It was getting harder for her to leave.

She rose onto the balls of her feet and kissed him. As he moved backward, she moved with him. Her hands curled into the front of his shirt, but the kiss broke when she heard her car door open. Sharon pulled away slowly. Her eyes fluttered open. She stared at him for just a moment before she drew away. She slipped into the car while he held the door for her. She felt the closing of it jolt through her. It was a separation of only a few inches, but it already seemed like the hundreds of miles that separated Los Angeles and Morgan Bay.

She looked up at him through the window and pressed the tips of her fingers to her lips. With her other hand she started the car. She pressed her fingers to the window and then backed slowly out of the driveway. She pulled her gaze away with some degree of difficulty and concentrated on driving. As she pointed the car away from the house, and away from Andy, she felt the building ache in her throat. She breathed slowly as she moved through the streets of the small coastal town. Her hands held tightly to the steering wheel and it was not until she was back on the highway that she let go of a long, shuddering breath.

A single tear made it's way down her cheek as she headed south. It was only now that she realized what she had said. She told him she would call him when she got back to LA. She had not called it home.

 **-TBC-**


	4. Chapter 4

**Come the Rain**

 **by Kadi**

 **Rated: M**

 **Disclaimer:** It isn't my sandbox. It is my favorite place to play, however.

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

The notification that her team had picked up a case came while Sharon was still on the road back to Los Angeles. She was still a few hours outside of the city when her phone rang. The team didn't need her yet, they were only just rolling out, and it would likely be morning before they had any sort of results from SID or the Medical Examiner's office. Sharon could have gone straight home and picked the case up with them the following morning. She didn't.

It had given her something to focus on. Until that moment she was too busy dwelling on what she was leaving behind, and that was difficult all by itself, especially considering that she was not a woman that often got caught up in thoughts about the things that she had already done. She typically made her choices and moved on. That was a little harder to do this time. With this new case she was able to push all of those thoughts aside and focus her attention on her work. That came easily. It was like slipping into an old, comfortable pair of jeans. She was very adept at wrapping herself in her work and using it as a shield against the uncomfortable parts of her personal life.

Sharon dove right into the case and was glad of the long hours that left her body and mind tired. It took them a few days to close it, by which point she decided that she was over the terrible, initial ache that came with parting from Andy after one of their visits. Whether she was fooling herself, or not, she didn't know, and chose not to consider.

After wrapping the case, a lunch date with Rusty provided another much needed distraction from her thoughts. Not that her son was, or ever would be a distraction from her life; far from it. Meeting with Rusty was just a reminder of the most important thing that kept her where she was. He might have been living in the dorm now, but she had promised that he would always have a home with her. The condo was the first stable home that he ever had; how could she just pack up and move away without considering his needs? Whatever he needed of her, Sharon would always try to provide.

It was not only those thoughts that filled her mind when she met with him on Thursday afternoon. Since he had moved out they didn't see each other as often as they used to, although they tried very hard to meet for lunch at least once a week. Rusty also made a habit of stopping by the Murder Room whenever he could, but it wasn't the same. She missed him, this child that her heart had chosen, but she was proud of him, and happier than she could express to see him embracing a life that very few had ever imagined that he would have, especially himself.

She smiled brightly as they walked along the Santa Monica boardwalk, lazily moving in the direction of their favorite ocean-side café. Rusty was filling her in on everything that happened since their last meeting while she listened happily. When he pointed at a table in the café's outside seating area, Sharon shook her head. "Something with some shade," she replied. He wrinkled his nose at her and she bumped her shoulder against his. He was a cheeky one, but then he always was.

Rusty moved to a table that had a large, blue, canvas umbrella and pulled out one of the chairs for Sharon before sitting down across from her. "You know, a little sun wouldn't hurt you," he teased. "It's not like you're going to wrinkle."

Her eyes narrowed. Sharon crossed her legs and sat back in her chair. "That had better not have been a quip about my age, young man." She picked up her menu and turned it over, although she already knew what she wanted.

"Who's quipping?" He smirked at her.

Sharon rolled her eyes at him. "You have spent entirely too much time with Lieutenant Provenza," she decided. "You are really beginning to sound like him."

Rusty's eyes sparkled as he looked at her over the top of his menu. "I guess that's just one of those hazards of co-parenting, huh?"

Her laugh, when it came, was quick and uncontainable. The idea was utterly ridiculous but she couldn't help imagining the Lieutenant's face were he to hear such a thing. "I suppose that makes Andy your evil stepfather."

His lips pursed while he thought about it. Rusty tilted his head at her. His eyes were full of mischief. "Actually, I thought that was Jack. God Sharon, how many of them are there?" When she picked up her napkin to throw at him, he held up his hands in defeat. "Sorry."

"Rotten child," she shook her head at him. She did love that boy.

Their chatter stopped while the waiter came to take their orders. They both ended up asking for their usual. After the waiter had withdrawn again, Rusty leaned back in his chair. "Speaking of Andy, you didn't mention how your visit went."

Sharon hummed quietly. She gave him a delicate shrug. "I thought we agreed not to discuss it? Actually, as I understand it, you made me sign a legal document, in triplicate, that you would never have to discuss, hear, or witness anything relationship related as far as Andy and I were concerned." She looked over the rims of her glasses at him. Her eyes were sparkling with humor. "I would imagine that covers any trips I might make out of town to see said individual."

Rusty made a face at her. "Okay, I asked to not walk in on anything and for you to keep it down if he was over. It was never _that_ bad. There are some things I just don't need to be part of, Sharon." His head tilted as he studied her. "I just thought, you know, you haven't gotten away in a while. What's it like up there? How is everyone? You haven't even mentioned Nicole yet."

"It is…" There was a part of her, she realized, that hoped he wouldn't ask. Now that he had, Sharon offered a careful smile. "As lovely as it was the first time I went. The weather here is practically tropical by comparison." In truth she was considering shedding her blazer. It was a rather bright and warm day, just the sort that Southern California was famous for, even in winter. "You almost wouldn't recognize the boys if you saw them," she said. "They've both grown a few inches, and Nicole…" Her smile warmed considerably. "She's doing very well. You should go back with me when I go up for her baby shower in a few weeks. I am sure everyone would love to see you, and it wouldn't hurt _you_ to get away." He was working so very hard in school and with his VLOG that sometimes she worried that he was working _too hard_.

Rusty's nose wrinkled. "Baby shower?" He shifted in his seat. "I don't know." He wouldn't mind seeing everyone again, and he was a fan of the Bay area. Ever since the first time that he visited Ricky in Palo Alto he loved it. He wouldn't mind going back, and maybe he could swing in and see his brother while he was there. "Isn't a baby shower, you know, for girls?"

Sharon laughed. "No." She reached for her water glass when the waiter set it in front of her. "It is a family event. It isn't gender specific, although I understand that some people may think so. Historically I suppose that it was. Dean is going to be there, and so are Charlie and Andy. Both of Dean's parents are coming, and other members of the family too. You would not be the only male there, I promise."

He still didn't look convinced. At the same time, Rusty couldn't find any reason to _not_ go. "Let me check out what I've got going on then, and we'll see. It might be kind of fun. Not the baby shower part, but the rest. Andy isn't going to mind?"

"Rusty." Sharon fixed him with a look. "No, he isn't." Her son knew better than to ask that, but she understood that there was a part of him that would always wonder. Some hurts just went too deep, and he had suffered these long before he came to her. "He would like to see you."

"Okay." Rusty knew when he had gone too far. He turned his glass on the table in front of him. "Then I'll see what I can do. Text me the date, and if there isn't anything happening then, it might be nice." He would have to compare it to his school calendar and class schedules. If he didn't have any exams or projects due, it wouldn't be hard to get away. "Speaking of school," Rusty said, before he could change his mind or they could get onto another topic, "I kind of wanted to talk to you about that."

It was less his tone and more the way that he was staring at his glass that drew Sharon's attention. She sat a little straighter in her chair. Rusty had grown pensive. He was worried about something. This was typically how he behaved if he thought she might not react well to whatever he was about to tell her. Sharon took a sip of her water and replaced the glass; then she folded her hands together in her lap. "Yes?" She asked at length, steeling herself against his news.

"It's not bad." Rusty thought he had better preamble his statement with that. "It's just… different." He glanced up at her finally. He shifted on his chair again and leaned forward. "So, a couple of pieces that I wrote for the school paper got published in a national publication for student writers. I also did an installment of the VLOG with one of them. Anyway… so part of that was to discuss what my plans were after graduating from Santa Monica in May. I mentioned that I was going to go to USC to finish my undergraduate degree," which was true, he had already been accepted. "Apparently USC is good, but I was told that if I was serious about a degree in Journalism there are better schools out there. So…" Rusty took a breath and shrugged. "I looked, and I found one." She was watching him, but it was that careful gaze she got sometimes. He knew she was still waiting. She wouldn't say anything until he managed to get it all out. It was a little unnerving sometimes. "I'm transferring to George Washington in the fall. I have a dorm lined up for the fall semester, and…" He hesitated for just a moment. "And temporary student housing for the summer because I have an internship at the Post. So… um…" It was harder to say than he thought it would be, despite how excited he was about everything. "I'm moving to Washington D.C. in June."

Sharon was left speechless. It was not at all what she expected him to say. She thought that he was going to tell her that he changed his mind about UCLA. He had gone back and forth between the two schools a couple of times before finally deciding that it was USC that he wanted. To her knowledge Rusty had never considered leaving Los Angeles for school, at least he never mentioned it before now. She stared at him while she processed that news. She had encouraged him, more than once, to consider any number of schools. Perhaps she had simply gotten comfortable with the fact that he hadn't. Sharon couldn't even say that he had chosen a bad school. George Washington University was one of the very best in the country. The only downside was, it was all the way on the other side of the continent. They had never been that far apart before. In fact, they had worked very hard at one point to keep that from happening.

Her mouth opened and closed a few times but there was no sound forthcoming. Sharon cleared her throat and sat forward in her seat. It felt a little as if all the air had been knocked out of her. She couldn't recall feeling this way when Emily and Ricky had chosen their schools. She had been proud of both of them, and she ached with how much she missed them at times, but her daughter was doing what she loved, in a city that had captured her heart. Ricky was nearer to her, and she saw him more often, but she didn't miss him any less. It was gratifying to know that her children were chasing their dreams. Now it seemed that all of them were going to be doing that, and in locations far away from home.

 _Home_.

There was that word again. Wasn't the need to provide Rusty with a stable home one the things that were keeping her rooted to Los Angeles? It wasn't only Rusty. This was where she had raised Emily and Ricky too, but the driving force in her decision had been Rusty. If he was leaving, what then was to become of her?

Sharon pushed all of those thoughts aside. She focused on what was most important in that moment. "George Washington?" She had finally found her voice, although it was thick with emotion. "Where did that come from?" Her boy could be so impetuous. If this was what he wanted, she wanted it for him, but he needed to be certain.

"I did my research." Rusty explained. "The journalism program at USC is okay, but it isn't all that great compared to GW and NYU, or even Northwestern. I thought about those too, and I even talked to Emily. She said I could stay with her if I went to NYU, at least until I found a dorm or got a place. Ideally in the news cycle, you want to be in New York or DC; Chicago isn't bad, but Northwestern is just a little removed from that. The internship was the deciding factor. It's the freaking _Washington Post_ , Sharon. That isn't the kind of thing that you turn your nose up at. Plus I did some other checking, and GW is a really liberal school, but they've got one of the most active political student bodies in the country. News literally happens on that campus."

The more he spoke, the more animated he was becoming. Sharon sat back in her chair again and watched him. When he began to gesture with his hands, Sharon fought the urge to smile. He was excited. Now that he had managed to break the ice of telling her, he couldn't contain his enthusiasm. Sharon swallowed back her own heartache at the thought of his moving away. He was right. This was a big deal. It wasn't something that he could turn away from. However much she knew that she would miss him, she could not deny or suppress the pride that she felt. This was something that Rusty had chosen and accomplished, all on his own. He had set his mind to a goal and achieved it. Just as she had always known that he could. It was only a matter of his believing in himself.

Sharon couldn't recall when she last saw Rusty so animated about anything. He only became this excited when he talked about chess, or his VLOG, finding Marianna Wallace's family, and a few other precious topics. That alone told her just how much this meant to him. Not that she would ever deny him. It had always been important to her that her children go to good schools, and that they find their own path academically. Ricky and Emily had both chosen well, and now it seemed Rusty had as well. Not because it was an Ivy League institution, but because it was what he really wanted. He wasn't doing this to please her; he was doing it to please himself. Sharon's smile softened. She chuckled quietly when he finally took a break as their meals arrived to breathe and take a drink of his water.

"I guess all that I can really say," she told him, "is how much that I am going to miss you. I hope you know that."

"I know, Sharon." He said it in that way that made it seem as if he wanted to roll his eyes at her, but Rusty felt the same way. He was nervous about moving so far away. He had gone back and forth on the idea so many times. In the end, he had talked it over with his brother and sister, and even Doctor Joe before he made the decision. He had wanted to make it himself, though, that was why he had not mentioned it to Sharon before now. He was afraid that if she looked at him, the way she was now, he would change his mind. He knew that she was proud of him, but he was going to miss her too. "I mean, it's not like I won't be home for winter break. I'm not moving to Mars."

"Hm." Sharon hummed. He always acted as if he was the first child she had ever raised. Yes, he would probably come home for winter break, at least the first year. After that, there would be things to keep him away. He would make friends, or find a romantic partner. He would want to travel, or seek out other internships and summer jobs. She had been through all of this before with her older children. For Rusty, Sharon simply smiled indulgently. "Of course not. It is only DC, a few hours by plane. You are only a phone call away, and you will be here for the holidays." Her head inclined. "It is a beautiful city. You are going to love it."

"So…" He let go of a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. Rusty lifted his fork and pushed the salad around on his plate. "You're not upset?" He wasn't sure if she would be or not. Emily and Ricky told him not to expect that. He had opted to believe them, but part of him still wondered.

"Of course not. Rusty." Sharon reached across the table and touched his hand, however briefly. "I would be more upset if you decided against this move because you believed that _I_ would be upset by it, or because you felt that you couldn't accomplish it. We have two rules, Rusty. I know we have not always been able to keep you completely safe, but we have tried very hard. As to rule number two, you have to be kind to yourself as much as others. Reach out and follow your dreams. See how far they take you, that is what I want for all of you. Do not ever put your life on hold for another person's happiness. Compromise and sacrifice for the people you love, yes, but never at the expense of your own dreams or your own happiness, not if you can help it." That was a lesson that she had to learn the hard way. She had put so much aside and changed so much of who she was for Jack that she hardly recognized the girl she had once been. If their dreams took her children away from her, she would ache for them, she would miss them, but she would be proud of them for reaching for the stars that she had only once dreamed of. Sharon didn't regret her life, and she didn't dwell on the choices she made, but she wanted better for her children. _All_ of them. She had found new dreams. Her children had filled that place in her life. She could not have been happier with who they were turning out to be as individuals. "Like you said," she concluded, "it is not like you are moving to Mars. Although…" Her eyes sparkled at him. "DC is not that far from it."

"Ricky said that you would say that." Rusty rolled his eyes at her, but he smiled too. "Even the Mars part."

"Ah ha!" She pointed her fork at him. "You thought that having siblings would be hard. I suppose they come in handy occasionally."

"Occasionally." Rusty grinned at her. "Not that I would tell them that. Well, Ricky anyway. Goes to his head. Emily isn't so bad most of the time, at least not when she isn't worrying about everything."

"She is the oldest," Sharon reminded him. "It is her job to worry about everything. You and Ricky will learn from her mistakes or achievements. It can be hard." She smiled warmly at him. "I am really glad that you spoke to them about this. I would never expect it to be an easy decision. They have both already been down this road; somehow we all still survived it." Sharon offered a delicate shrug. "It will be okay, Rusty. This is good. I am happy for you… and June is still several months away. For now I still have you."

"Yeah." He definitely felt better for having finally told her. Now that it was out there, they could just get ready for it. "There's just one thing," Rusty added. His brows lifted. "Um. Who is gonna tell dad?"

When he fluttered his lashes at her and smiled impishly, Sharon had to lift her napkin to keep from spitting the bite she had just taken across the table. She had to shake her head at him. He was a cheeky, rotten child, this son that she adored so much. She swallowed hard and reached for her water. Sharon cleared her throat. "You know, Rusty, I think that we will just have to send your other parent the bill and see what happens…" It was also entirely possible that he took completely after her.

 **MCMCMCMCMCMC**

After parting with Rusty she went home. Sharon sent only a single text before getting into her car to make the drive across town. _Rusty is moving to Washington DC in June_. It was simple. She was sure that the very basic fact would get across how she felt about it, all of the pride as well as the sadness.

She didn't receive a response, but then, given the time of day, Sharon did not expect one. They did not always communicate throughout the day. If either of them were busy, hours could go between calls or text messages. Rather than return to the office, she opted to drive home. Sharon would finish what remained of the day's paperwork from there. At least, that was the initial idea.

Upon arriving home she ended up looking through the photographs she had of her youngest child. He was a bit camera shy. It was hard to get him to sit still long enough for her to capture a moment. Sharon resolved to do more of that before he made his move the following summer. The pictures that she had of him were precious, though, and she spent the afternoon and early evening reliving those memories. They had been through quite a lot together. From those tumultuous early days to the moment that Judge Richwood declared him hers, theirs was a relationship filled with many ups and downs.

There was a part of her too that worried about him moving so far away from the safety that he was afforded in Los Angeles. Phillip Stroh was still a threat, and granted a distant one as long as he remained abroad. The idea that he may still return someday to finish what he started that night in Griffith Park, so long ago now, was still a very real and frightening one. With Rusty on the other side of the country she would not be able to protect him. At the same time, Sharon knew that she could not keep him in Los Angeles waiting on a threat that might never become a reality. They could not live their lives in a prison of Phillip Stroh's making; that was a decision that they made some time ago. They had done very well moving beyond his very dark shadow. It would be an adjustment, Sharon knew, to live in a world where Phillip Stroh was still at large while Rusty was not living near her. As Rusty became accustomed to living on his own, to finding his place in the world and learning just how far his wings could spread, Sharon knew that she would have to learn how to let go of him. Some of the most difficult, but proudest moments, that she had experienced as a mother had come in watching her children leave the nest.

Those thoughts remained with her as the evening turned into night. She placed calls to Ricky and Emily; she wanted to be sure that they knew that she was aware now of the changes that were coming, and just how proud of them that she was for the way in which they had both helped Rusty to arrive at this decision on his own. Emily was disappointed, Sharon learned, that Rusty had given NYU a pass, but both of her children felt that GW might be a very good fit for the youngest member of their family. It was really only time that would prove that out, but Rusty would have all of their support.

As Sharon turned in for the night, she checked her phone again. There had still not been a response to her earlier text, but she was not overly surprised. She would speak to him in the morning. The challenge with living their lives apart was that it was also a study in patience. They could not always be immediately available to the other.

Sharon had been in bed for over an hour, and was just sliding into sleep when the knocking at her door pulled her back. She was unaccustomed to visitors stopping by unannounced, and Rusty never knocked, so she approached the door with caution. Her phone was in her hand as she rose onto the balls of her feet to gaze through the peephole at her late visitor.

Air left her lungs in a rush upon seeing who was on the other side. Sharon quickly flipped the locks and pulled the door open. Her eyes were wide and her surprise evident as she stared at him. " _Andy_."

He stood looking back at her for just a moment. There was a small, black duffel bag hanging from his shoulder. His shirt and slacks were a little wrinkled from the trip, but he hardly cared about how he looked at the moment. She was wearing his t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants, and from the look of her, he had gotten her out of bed. Andy didn't care about that either. It was the look in her eyes that drew his attention. Beneath the surprise there was something else. If he knew anything at all about her, it was that today had been one hell of a hard day, just as much as it had been a good one.

He stepped into the condo and pushed the door closed behind him. Andy dropped his bag beside it before reaching for her. "Hey." He pulled her into a hug and held on tightly. "I got on the first flight down here," he said, already knowing that would be her next question.

That would explain why he never answered her text. Sharon turned her face into his neck and drew a deep breath. Her eyes closed while her arms moved around his waist. Her fingers curled into his shirt and she leaned into him. "You didn't have to do that." She had never been happier to see him than she was in that moment.

"The kid told you that he's moving a couple of thousand miles away?" Andy shook his head. "Yeah I did." His hands moved up and down her back in a simple, comforting caress. "I know you. You're already going nuts thinking about everything that is going to go right, and everything that can go wrong. You're figuring out how you're going to help him do it, even though he isn't going to want you to, and how much you're going to miss him. You're proud as hell but this one hurts. He's the one that's needed you most and now he's doing exactly what you taught him. Where else was I going to be?"

Right here, holding her, she thought. Which was exactly where she wanted him to be. Sharon lifted her head and looked up at him. She had never loved him more than she did right then. "How long?"

"Just tonight. I have to get back in the morning. I'm on the ten o'clock flight back to San Francisco. That will put me back into town in time to swing by and pick up the boys." He had his grandsons for the weekend, and tomorrow was Friday.

Just the night, and only a few hours; it wasn't nearly enough time, but it was enough to reinforce what she already knew, and that was just how much she loved and was loved in return. She would take it, and she would hold on to it. She would hold on to him. Sharon drew back just enough to wrap her hand around his. She pulled him with her down the hall, back to the bed that she abandoned to answer the door. There she would be held, and she would tell him what was weighing on her mind. She would speak of her fears and her hopes. He would listen. He would tell her what she needed to hear. Yes, they were living their lives apart, but that was only geography. When she had needed him, he was there. The heart may ache for more, but it was currently filled with the knowledge that _apart_ did not mean _alone_.

 **-TBC-**


	5. Chapter 5

**Come the Rain**

 **by Kadi**

 **Rated: M**

 **Disclaimer:** It isn't my sandbox. It is my favorite place to play, however.

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

There was a deep scowl on the Lieutenant's face. He was staring at the murder board again. Sharon had been watching this behavior for the better part of the afternoon. Provenza was moving between the board and his desk. He would study it for a while, and then he would pick up the file and page through it. When he didn't see anything but what they already knew to be true about the case, the Lieutenant would return his attention to his crossword. That would last for a little while, but the scowl never went away. His attention would eventually drift back to the Murder Board and he would get up to study it again. The cycle would repeat. Sharon was beginning to wonder if he would work himself into a fit given enough time.

On the surface their case appeared to be very straightforward. They had a missing wife reported by her husband. There was a crime scene at the couple's residence with broken furniture and enough blood evidence and spatter to indicate that the wife was likely dead. They were able to match the blood found at the scene back to DNA typed from the woman's hairbrush. On top of all of that, the husband seemed to only be _concerned enough_. None of them really got the impression that he was overly worried or panicked.

Every lead that they had, along with every piece of evidence, however circumstantial, all pointed back at the husband; what they did not have, unfortunately, was a body or a murder weapon. Without that, or a confession, there was really very little that they could do. What they did have was over a hundred years of combined experience working homicides to tell them that the husband had done it. " _It's always the husband_." At least that was what Provenza had told Oderno at the beginning of their case. Now as they looked for more evidence to tie the crime to the husband, Sharon wondered what exactly it was that had the Lieutenant so pensive.

As he made his way back to his desk, she rose from hers. She walked into the murder room and moved to stand beside him. He had the case file in his hand again. Sharon folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head at him. "What is it, Lieutenant? You are going to pace a hole in my floor soon."

He grunted at her and grumbled a retort that was barely audible. Provenza's scowl deepened. She wasn't his favorite person at the moment. It had been a week since Rusty had been over to his house for dinner, only to break the news that he was moving across the country come summer. When he asked the Captain about it, and what she was going to do to _stop_ it, she had only shrugged at him and said that she didn't plan to do anything. She was paying for most of his education already, but she had simply remarked that she was helping Rusty get off-campus housing so that he wouldn't have to worry about moving again from the temporary dorm when the summer was over. Of course, deep down, Provenza also knew that she wanted him to have _safer_ housing if he was going to be where she could not easily keep an eye on him.

Provenza just never believed that she would let the boy go. He wasn't all that happy with the way that she had told him that their children were supposed to grow up and leave home. As if he didn't know that? He had more kids than she did! Grandkids too! Patrice told him that he was being a little ridiculous, but she didn't know Rusty as well as he did. She didn't know what they had been through with that boy! She didn't know how easily trouble could find him.

In the end, Provenza decided that it was all Flynn's fault. He called his partner on it too. The damned fool just told him to leave Sharon alone. She was dealing with it. That only led Provenza to ask him why the hell she wasn't living up there yet. What was going on with them anyway? What kind of relationship was this with her here and him up there and the two of them just running back and forth for the occasional booty call? That had gotten him an earful of Flynn's temper. His partner had yelled at him good, then hung up on him. He called back an hour later, but of course by that point Provenza's ears had been ringing from the very sound lecture he had gotten from Patrice on the matter. The general consensus from all parties was to leave Sharon alone, that she would figure it out. Even Rusty said the same thing when he asked the kid about it. He wondered if the kid was only moving because momma bird wouldn't make a move of her own as long as she had little chick to take care of. Rusty promised him that had nothing to do with it, but he was pretty sure she would do something soon. They would either break up or she'd pack up. Rusty didn't know which one would come first and he didn't want to speculate.

So fine, Provenza was leaving _her_ alone about it. That didn't meant that he had to be too happy with her at the moment. It was something that he expressed by glaring darkly at her. "Pretty sure it's The Pope's floor." He watched her arch her brow, in that carefully patient way of hers, before he turned his attention back to the board. Provenza pointed a finger at the photos that were posted on it. They had DMV pictures of the husband and wife as well as the pictures taken of the crime scene at their home. "It's always the husband," he began, and could see her physically restrain herself from rolling her eyes out of the corner of his eye. Provenza wagged his finger at the board. "I don't think it was _this_ husband."

"Really?" Sharon was surprised by that reveal. In her pocket she felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out and glanced casually at the display; it was another call from Andy. He had called her twice since that morning, and each time she had been in the middle of something. She had planned to call him back before now, but the timing of this case was just not working in her favor. She suppressed a frown as she ignored the call again and slipped the phone back into her pocket. They were trying to nail down plans for the following weekend, and she resolved to call him back just as soon as she had a moment to herself. Now, however, was not the time to discuss the flight arrangements that needed to be made for herself and Rusty, or the fact that she planned to rent a car rather than have him pick them up at the airport. Later, Sharon reminded herself, and pulled her attention back to the case that her second in command was attempting to discuss with her. "What makes you say that?" She questioned. "Everything that we have found indicates that Mister Allory is responsible for his wife's disappearance and quite possibly her death too."

"It's just too…" Provenza waved at the board with both hands while he tried to find the right word to describe the situation. "Obvious," he said at last. "James Allory comes home from work to find his wife missing and signs of a struggle inside their house? His wife just happened to mention to a couple of her friends, friends that he didn't even know that she had by the way, that she was afraid of his temper lately? Okay." Provenza reached over and tapped the picture of their main suspect. "The guy is an idiot. He was having an affair and it looks like he was getting ready to leave the wife. They didn't have any kids, they didn't have any money, so it's not like he really stood to lose anything in a divorce. He is moderately concerned that his wife is missing, but I don't think he killed her. I think he just doesn't really like her!"

"Okay." Sharon was willing to entertain that theory. "If James Allory did not kill his wife, where is she?" She folded her arms across her chest. "Something happened in that house. Melissa Allory did not seriously injure herself and then runaway. As you said, neither of them had anything to lose in a divorce, so what would be the point?"

"What about the girlfriend?" The question came from behind them. Julio leaned forward in his seat. He had been following the conversation and was now trying to put all of the pieces together as they were laid out in this new timeline of events. "We haven't really looked that far into her yet. If the husband looks like he could have killed the victim and didn't, and we thought the girlfriend was just a poor dupe, maybe we have it all backward? What if the girlfriend didn't think that he was going to leave the wife, or didn't like how long it was taking?"

"Maybe we should get her down here again," Provenza suggested. "The husband's story hasn't changed. If we ask her all the same questions enough times, she might fold." He walked back toward his desk. "It's all we've got until a body shows up."

"Yes." Sharon studied the board for a moment longer. Her gaze was centered on the DMV photograph of the suspect's girlfriend. Dana Mason appeared to just be young and blindly in love. It was worth taking a second look at her. "Ask Miss Mason to come back down here," Sharon suggested. "We will take another pass at her. It really cannot hurt." Her phone vibrated again. This time she sent it to voicemail with barely a glance. He was being more persistent than usual. "Ask Mister Allory to come back down for a visit too. I want to know how cooperative he is willing to be. If he knows that we are questioning the girlfriend, it may rattle him. If it doesn't, he is either a very good actor or your theory has merit, Lieutenant."

"Of course it does!" He looked a little affronted by that. "I know killers," he told her, "especially the married kind. That one is dumb but he's no killer."

"Perhaps," Sharon pointed out, "but if you are wrong Lieutenant, then we are no closer to finding Melissa Allory or the person who is responsible for her disappearance." Sharon turned and moved around his desk. "Let me know when Miss Mason arrives. I would like to sit in on that interview."

"Uh, Captain…" Tao stood at his desk. He was holding his phone in his hand. "Flynn says that he really needs to talk to you." It was unlike him to call one of them, before or after the move, if she wasn't answering her phone. "He said it was important."

Sharon's brows rose. That was certainly unusual. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Tell him that I will call him back right now." She pulled her phone out of her pocket and strode toward her office. "Continue with our plans for Mister Allory and his girlfriend," she told them. With any luck, whatever was bothering Andy would not take very long, and she would have that situation wrapped up before they arrived for their interviews.

Once she was back inside her office, Sharon made sure that the door was shut securely behind her. He had managed to pique the interest of the entire team. Sharon pulled the blinds while she dialed. She was not entirely surprised when Andy picked up on the first ring. "I am very sorry," she began, "but we are in the middle of a case, Andy. What is going on?"

"Nicole is in surgery." The words came out in a rush. He had been trying to reach her since Dean called him that morning. "She's been in labor most of the day. They've been trying to stop it, but her water broke an hour ago. She wasn't dilating, so they thought they would be able to get it under control. When they couldn't, and her water broke, they told us not to worry." He paced as he spoke and ran a hand through his hair. "Then the baby's heart rate dropped so they took her in for a c-section."

Sharon felt her stomach drop and then clench painfully at that news. Nicole had a few weeks left until her due date. She wasn't dangerously early, but there was always a risk. Sharon recalled Ricky being rather impatient to arrive too. He had come a couple of weeks before his due date, breech and refusing to turn; she had undergone a cesarean too. Somehow Ricky had managed to still weigh every bit of eight pounds, although looking at him now, it wasn't exactly a surprise. Sharon exhaled quietly. She could hear the fear in the low rasping of his voice. "Where are the boys?"

"School." Andy stopped pacing and leaned against the wall. He cast a look down the long, hospital corridor. There was a waiting room at the end. Charlie was still seated there. His son had arrived just a little while before. Dean's parents were on their way. It would be a couple of hours before they arrived. Vicki was still in the air. His ex-wife wouldn't land for another hour. She had to wait to get a flight up from Los Angeles, and her husband wouldn't be joining her until sometime the following day. "They don't know yet. It's the best place for them right now. By the time they get out, it will all be over, and we'll have something to tell them."

"I see." Her mind was moving quickly, filing away everything that he said. "Do you want me to send Ricky to you? He can pick up the boys and keep them while everyone is at the hospital." Her son was only a couple of hours away in Palo Alto. Sharon glanced at her watch. If she got on a plane now, it would still take her three hours to arrive. The boys would already be out of school by then.

"I…" Andy hesitated. He wondered if that was really his call to make. Dean was in with Nicole so he couldn't really ask his son-in-law. Andy thought quickly. "No." He decided finally. It wouldn't be fair to pass the boys off to a stranger. He didn't think they had actually ever met Ricky, but it was hard to recall at the moment. "Charlie or I will get them."

Sharon nodded slowly, despite the fact that he couldn't see it. A knock at her door had her walking over and opening it. She waved Chief Taylor in and returned to her desk. "What do you need right now?" She asked him. "I can probably be on a plane within the hour, but it is a two and a half hour flight." It would take her some time after landing to rent a car and drive to Richmond.

"I'm not really sure," he admitted. "I think I just need you to get here." Andy sighed. "But if you're in the middle of a case, you can't just get on a plane right now." He knew how hard it was for her to pull herself away when they were in the thick of it. Hell, he understood. He had the same problem when he was still working homicides. It was why it had taken him so long to rebuild his relationship with his kids.

"Let me worry about that," Sharon said. She could feel Taylor's gaze burning into her back. She stood facing the windows behind her desk. "I will see you soon," she told him. Sharon may have a very strong sense of duty, but she had never allowed her work to come before her family. "All my love to Nicole and Dean."

"Yeah," he rasped thickly. "I'll tell them. See you soon."

Sharon closed the call and took a moment to exhale quietly before turning. She placed the cell phone on her desk and tilted her head at the man who was standing on the other side of it. "Yes, Chief. What can I do for you?"

Russell Taylor placed his hands on his hips. He was there to get an update on the Allory case. Their missing woman's family was rather influential in quite a few social circles. Now she had his curiosity up by making it sound like she intended on leaving. "Going somewhere, Captain?"

Sharon folded her arms across her chest. "Yes, actually. There has been something of a family emergency. I need to get on a plane this evening. Lieutenant Provenza can bring you up to speed with the Allory investigation. We are in the process of bringing the husband and girlfriend back in for further questioning."

"Captain," Taylor scowled at her. "I shouldn't have to tell you that there are a lot of eyes on this department with this case. Melissa Allory is well known and well liked. A lot of people would like to know what happened to her and whether or not her husband was involved. I cannot have the head of the division investigating her disappearance running off before we have any answers."

It was more his tone than the idea that he expected her to ignore her personal life for his own gains that had Sharon bristling. "Yes, I understand that Chief." Her brows rose. "However, that does not change the fact that there are some events that take precedence over our work. This is one of them." To punctuate that sentence she lifted her purse and placed it on her desk, then she began gathering her phone and other items. "If you will excuse me, this is a very time sensitive situation. Andy's daughter is in premature labor. I need to make flight arrangements."

His eyes narrowed. "I wasn't aware that you had gotten married." When her head snapped up, he pointed at her. "Well, you said this was a _family_ emergency. I had not heard that you and Lieutenant… excuse me, _Mister_ Flynn," he corrected, making it clear where he stood on the fact that other man was now retired, "were married now. I imagine that's news that would have made the circuit around here."

"I imagine that it would," Sharon said carefully. Her tone had dropped. She glared at him. Her eyes had paled as her indignation became clear. "You may wish to tread very carefully, Chief. The Lieutenant… excuse me," her lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile, " _Chief_ and I are not married." It seemed that Taylor had forgotten that Andy had taken another job after he moved. So what if he was Chief of Police of a town with barely fifteen thousand residents and a department that was comprised of maybe four people, it was a distinction that she was still going to make. Technically, he did still outrank the both of them. Sharon could see that Taylor had realized that too in the way that his lip curled. Good grief but the man could be tiresome when he wanted to be. "Furthermore," she continued, "I am unclear as to what my current marital status has to do with anything."

Taylor offered a nasty smirk. "Well you see, Captain, if you're not married, then whatever is going on with Flynn's children has nothing to do with you. It doesn't constitute anything more than your boyfriend having a bad day. I'm going to need you to stay right here and continue to oversee the remainder of this investigation." Taylor knew he might very well pay for pissing off Raydor, but at the moment he couldn't afford to have her running off when his office was fielding questions about the Melissa Allory disappearance.

"I see." Sharon's lips pursed. She thought about it for a moment. Technically, he was right. In terms of the department policy laid out by Human Resources this was not really a _family_ emergency. That did not alter the fact that it was _her_ family, or that she still had every intention of flying north to assess the situation and help where she could. "Well, Chief, I think there is really only one choice left to you." Sharon picked up her purse and pulled the strap over her shoulder. "Deal with it." She walked around the desk strode toward the door. "With any luck I will be back in a couple of days. Lieutenant Provenza will keep me apprised. I will monitor the situation from Richmond."

"Captain." Taylor turned where he stood. She had taken him by surprise but he wasn't willing to show it. He played the only card that he had left. "If you leave now, you can expect to return to a reprimand, and quite possibly another role within this department." It was a threat, and whether he would be able to carry through with it, he didn't know just yet. Ultimatums had worked quite well for him in the past, though, and so he used one now.

Sharon stopped in the open office doorway. He would do that in front of her entire division. It was just exactly the sort of maneuver that Taylor would try to make, just save face and to get what he wanted. Her back straightened. She turned slowly. Her face was completely impassive. "Then I suggest, Chief," she spoke in slow, measured tones, "that you get a box and start packing. Lieutenant Provenza can arrange for Rusty to pick up my personal belongings or I will gather them upon my return." She would not be threatened, and she would not be backed into a corner. That was something that he should know very well. "While you are at it, I will leave explaining to Chief Pope why I have chosen to seek an immediate retirement at this time in your hands. If he has any questions, I am reachable on my cell. Failing that, I will be at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center. He can have me paged." She turned on her heel and strode away from the slack-jawed man who had not expected his ploy to fail so spectacularly. When Sharon stopped again, it was only to give the astonished looking Lieutenant Provenza a quick update. "Nicole is in the hospital." She hastily filled him in on the rest of what Andy had told her and concluded with, "I am going to fly up and be with the family. One of us will send you an update." Sharon smirked at him then. "I would ask you to keep me in the loop on our current case, but I think I may be unemployed."

Provenza snorted. He doubted very seriously that Pope would let Taylor get away with this one. "Right." He shrugged. "I always wanted an office with a view." He jerked his head toward the exit. "Get out of here. We'll figure something out." They would keep her updated until they knew otherwise.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Sharon moved away from him. "I'll have Rusty be in touch. Try not to break anything."

"Uh huh." Provenza shot a scowl at Taylor. "I'm keeping the blue lamps." Two could play this game. If Taylor wanted to be an idiot, they could indulge him. He waited until the sound of the Captain's heels moving down the hall had completely faded before he pointed at Taylor. "I want a raise too."

Taylor looked around the murder room. Every one of them was glaring at him. He threw his hands up and moved down the hall. It was hard to believe they used to despise her. He tried to tell Pope that bringing in Raydor was a bad idea. Now look what had happened. In only a few years the entirety of Major Crimes had been corrupted. They had all gone over to the dark side. Somehow he didn't think that they would ever get them back.

"Alright let's get back to work," Provenza said. "This isn't the first time that Assistant Chief Taylor has overplayed his hand." This one wouldn't stick, at least not in the way Taylor wanted it to. Although, somehow, Provenza wondered if Taylor hadn't just managed to close a door that was left flapping in the wind.

They couldn't worry about any of the fumbles being made by their upper brass, however. Major Crimes still had a murder investigation to solve. There was a husband to interview and a girlfriend to try and shake up. They brought both of them back in and got them set up in separate interview rooms. They tag-teamed the interviews. They moved in such a way as it looked as if they were checking into aspects of their stories as they were revealed. In truth, while Detective Sanchez and Lieutenant Tao looked on, Amy and Lieutenant Provenza were moving back and forth between the two rooms. The officers gave every impression of being sympathetic. The time could have been a misstep. It could have given either of their suspects the opportunity to shore up their stories while they were left waiting. In the end, Provenza's theory about the husband was proving true. While he seemed just _worried enough_ , it was appearing more and more as if it came from a place of just really wanting out of a bad marriage. The girlfriend, on the other hand, was beginning to look incredibly nervous. Whether she had anything to do with Melissa Allory's disappearance was another matter.

The team chose to lean on her harder. By some odd twist of fate she finally realized that she should be asking for a lawyer. That halted their forward progress, but at least now they knew that by spending so much time concentrating on the husband, they were wasting time in actually moving forward with the investigation.

While they were waiting for Dana Mason's lawyer to arrive, they receive another visitor. Heads snapped up as Chief Pope strode into the murder room. He was looking frustrated as he came to a stop in the center of the room. There was a cell phone in his hand as he gestured at them. "Would someone please tell me that you have a way of getting in touch with Captain Raydor?"

Julio snorted a quiet laugh and quickly bowed his head. So it looked like Taylor's little ultimatum had not gone over well with his boss. They expected as much. He cleared his throat when Lieutenant Provenza glowered at him. When Amy rolled her eyes he just shrugged. Could he help it if he thought the idiocy of the upper brass was amusing?

Provenza glanced at his watch. "She might still be the air. If she's landed, I doubt she's had time to make it to the hospital yet." He leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers together against his stomach. "Problems, chief?"

Pope only narrowly avoided rolling his eyes at them. "Okay look, I get it, probably better than anyone else across the street. You close ranks when one of yours is in trouble. The issue here is, I really need to speak to your Captain, and for that matter, no one is actually _in_ trouble," he added. Except maybe for his Assistant Chief for pissing off the Darth One. They had already had that discussion, however. They might have another one if he couldn't reach Raydor before she did something that would give him a headache for the remainder of his tenure as Chief of Police. Pope sighed. "How do I reach your Captain?"

Provenza exchanged a look with Tao. He shrugged at the other man without leaning forward. "Have you tried calling Flynn? That is where she's headed. Or didn't Taylor fill you in on all the dirty, sordid details of the Captain's very bad behavior?"

This time the Chief did roll his eyes. "Yes, that thought did cross my mind, Lieutenant. As a matter of fact, since I do not have access to his personal contact information, I did reach out to your former partner through the Morgan Bay Police department. He told me to, and I quote, shove it right up my Vatican. Does anyone have any better ideas?"

He was too busy fighting the urge to laugh. Provenza couldn't even call Sanchez on the fact that _he_ was currently laughing. He glanced over at the younger man. The Detective's head was bowed, almost resting on his desk while his shoulders shook. That definitely sounded like his partner. "I could call her son, but I don't know that Ricky would be joining them. It's probably better at this point to wait until she's on the ground and talk to the Captain directly. I'm sure that she will check in with us as soon as she has a handle on what is going on in Richmond. I will tell the Captain that you're trying to reach her."

Why he thought that they would be helpful, Pope didn't know. This was the most stubborn group of individuals in the department. They could close ranks tighter than any other division he knew. If he hadn't hand-picked a good majority of them, he might actually have something to complain about. Pope let his gaze circle the room before he had to nod in agreement. "Fine, but do have her contact me the minute that she reaches out to you. It is imperative that we speak. Not everyone is jumping at the idea of finding a replacement for that office," he said, and gestured toward it with the hand that was holding his phone.

"What?" Provenza did lean forward them. "Are you saying that it isn't mine?" His brows rose. "The Captain and I have a deal. I get the lamps; she can keep everything else, including Flynn. It was the most amicable divorce I've ever had." He pointed at Pope and shook his finger. "Don't go shaking it up now."

"There is no force on this earth that will make me touch that one." Pope turned on his heel. "Have her call me, Lieutenant. That is an order."

"And just like that," Provenza commented, "his holiness has left us again. Anyone else starting to feel neglected? He swings in, he swings out, doesn't even bother to say hello…"

At his desk, Tao shrugged. "I don't think he likes us anymore. So I guess we're not telling anyone that the Captain called five minutes ago to tell us that she had arrived in Richmond and we should send her any updates we have?"

"Did she call?" Provenza shrugged. "I really do not recall speaking to her." He had not, in fact, done so. It was Buzz who had taken the call while the rest of them were otherwise occupied. "I guess," he decided, "that we will just have to wait until she calls again…" In the meantime they would continue sending her updates. As he told Pope, he would tell her that she was needed if _she called them_ , not the other way around. "So where were we?"

Julio drummed his fingers against his desk. "It's always the girlfriend, it's always the girlfriend…"

"Right." Provenza nodded. "Find out what's taking her lawyer so long. I want to wrap this up before Colbert comes on. I don't have all night people."

 **-TBC-**


	6. Chapter 6

**Come the Rain**

 **by Kadi**

 **Rated: M**

 **Disclaimer:** It isn't my sandbox. It is my favorite place to play, however.

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

Sharon had spoken to Andy the moment that her plane touched down in San Francisco. As she boarded in Los Angeles, Nicole was out of surgery but he still didn't have any news. That changed while she was in the air. Nicole was doing well. She was tired, and in some pain, but otherwise she was physically fine. As to the baby, he was still in the NICU. Tests were still being performed to ascertain his lung function, although he weighed in at a healthy six pounds and five ounces. Andy had not heard anything yet, although Dean had been in the NICU to see his son. Andy's ex-wife, Vicki, was sitting with Nicole while they waited for test results, and while Andy and Charlie kept Dean and Nicole's older sons occupied.

She had also had the opportunity, while waiting to pick up her rental car, to speak with Lieutenant Provenza. She was aware of the situation in Los Angeles, but decided that she would deal with that when she was _back in_ Los Angeles. Until that time arrived, her mind was focused squarely upon those whom she cared about. She would handle Assistant Chief Taylor when she returned. His political and social aspirations would not dictate the way in which her division was run. Nor would they dictate how she balanced the job of running that division with her personal life. If he could not, or _would not,_ come to terms with that, he could… as Andy said on the phone before she left Los Angeles, find someone else to be his sock monkey.

All of those thoughts were locked in the back of her mind as she made the drive from San Francisco to Richmond. Traffic was quite the mess by early evening and Sharon spent half of the call on the phone with Ricky while she utilized his familiarity with the city to figure out the best away around it. Her son took her a few miles out of her way, at least according to her GPS, but he got her to Richmond much faster than she would have managed on her own. At least while she was focused on the drive and Ricky's directions Sharon was not dwelling on her concern for Andy, or what she felt for Nicole and Dean, and this unnamed child who had been born weeks before he was meant to be.

By the time that Sharon arrived at the hospital the sun had started to set. She located the family easily; they were occupying the third floor waiting room. The boys spotted her before any of the adults did. She smiled as they ran to greet her and wrapped an arm around both of them. She walked with them back into the room, but it was Andy that had her attention. He was putting a good face on it for the others, but behind his tired smile she could see the worry. His hair was standing a bit on end, as if his hand had been through it a few times too many. His tie was hanging loosely, and a bit crookedly from around his neck. His sleeves were rolled and shoved up around his elbows. He stood slowly as she approached and she could see the weariness in him. The thinly cushioned chairs of the waiting room were not made for bodies that had moved beyond middle age, bodies like theirs. Sharon let go of Michael and Tommy as she neared him and offered a small, gentle smile. "Any news?"

"Dean came by a little while ago on his way to check on Nicole. The doctors say that he's doing okay. All of his tests are stable, and he seems to be breathing okay. Nicole woke up a little while ago, they're going to let her finish coming out of the anesthesia and then they'll bring him down to the room. I told Vicki we would relieve her when you got here." He imagined that his ex-wife would want to make some phone calls and get some air now that they knew that the baby would be okay, and that the tests and observation had been a precaution. "Dean's folks are still an hour out; Charlie and I were just talking about getting the boys out of here for a little while. We were thinking that he could take them to get something to eat, and then you and I can take them with us after we see Nicole. We can bring them back with us in the morning."

"We can do that." She laid a hand on his arm and let it stroke slowly down to circle his wrist. "We will discuss it with Dean when we see him." Her fingers stroked the inside of his wrist, just beneath the gold chain that he always wore. Sharon looked around him and smiled at his son. "Charlie, if you would rather, I can take the boys to get something to eat while you see your sister."

"That's okay." He stood from the chair that he was seated in. He was long and broad across the shoulders like his father. Unlike Nicole, who was dark eyed like their father, he had inherited his mother's crystal, blue eyes. "I really don't mind. I can see Nicki when I get back from dinner. I was thinking about picking something up for her anyway," he shrugged and smiled a little sheepishly at her, "no offense, but I know what she likes when it's about comfort food."

He was his father's son. Sharon chuckled quietly. "No, that is okay. I understand. We want Nicole to be as comfortable as we can make her, and I bet these two guys," she smiled at the boys again, "would really love to help you pick out exactly what would make her feel better." Sharon smiled brightly when they both nodded eagerly. "That's what I thought. We'll see you both soon."

Andy watched while Charlie herded his nephews out of the waiting room. The boys had not been able to understand why they could not go back and see Nicole just yet. He and his son had been fielding questions since the two of them were picked up from school. He loved those boys, but it would be a relief to have a few minutes of quiet. When they were alone, Andy turned back to Sharon and pulled her into a hug. He had spent the afternoon on the edge of his seat, and although it was hard to admit, he had really needed her. "I'm glad that you could make it."

"Where else would I be?" She slipped a hand up to cup the back of his neck. Her fingers threaded through the finely cropped silver hair that almost reached his collar. After a moment she pulled back and cupped his cheek. "You are always there when I need you, Andy. Don't you know that it goes both ways?" A soft smile curved her lips. "I love Nicole too, it is not only about you. It is not easy being removed from most of your family in moments like this one. She must have been terrified. It was good that she had you." Sharon stroked his arm again. However much she might miss him, this move had been a good one. Not only for the events that had transpired that day, but also because she knew that it had brought him closer to both of his children. Sharon had never seen Charlie so relaxed and casual around his father before, treating him as if he was, in fact, his father. She was reminded that the right choices in life were not always the easy ones.

"Are you kidding?" Andy sighed. "All I did was pace up and down the hall and make a lot of phone calls. There wasn't really a lot to it. I remember it being easier when Nicole and Charlie were born. This grandpa gig is hard." Not being able to be there, to make the decisions, and be on the front line of what Nicole needed was the most difficult part of it all. He had to trust that Dean would take care of her, and the baby, and make the decisions that were in both of their best interests. He liked his son-in-law a hell of a lot, but letting go had still been hard. Then Vicki had arrived, and she had wanted to be with Nicole. Not fighting his ex-wife on that was difficult. He had waited, finding a level of patience from somewhere that he hadn't really known that he had. Having the boys around made it easier; it gave him something to focus on. Andy used to think that he needed Sharon with him to make the right choices when it came to his family, that somehow, she made him better. Today he realized that he could do it just fine, what he wanted was to have her there. She settled him, calmed him in a way that few things could. All that she had really taught him was that it was okay to just be himself. He was trying to be better when it came to his kids, and that was more than a lot of people did. Andy reached up and brushed a lock of hair back from her face. He tucked it behind her ear and rested his hand against the crook of her neck, so this thumb could stroke along her pulse point. "I thought I was going to go crazy just waiting."

"It is always hard when we have to watch them find their own strength. You want to make everything better, but sometimes, all you can really do is just be there." The same was true for them, too, she knew. It was why they had both dropped everything and flown hundreds of miles to be with each other when it had become necessary. Their kids always came first, but that didn't mean that they had to face it alone. "Besides, from where I am standing, I think you've got this grandpa gig down pretty well. I think it suits you."

"A couple of years ago," he laughed quietly, "I would have told you that you were crazy." Andy hadn't imagined that he would get as attached to Nicole's stepsons as he had. At first he just wanted to make Nicole happy, but then that hadn't really mattered as much because it was the boys that were important.

Sharon's smile brightened at the way his eyes lit up. "A couple of years ago," she agreed, "I would have believed you." Her lips pursed. Amusement danced in her eyes. "Speaking of crazy…" A brow arched. "You told him to _shove it up his Vatican_?" Lieutenant Provenza had oh so happily filled her in on that little piece of information. It was, apparently, the new favorite among her team.

Andy cleared his throat and looked down. He rubbed the side of his nose. "Well," he shrugged. When Andy looked up again, he offered her a sheepish grin. "You know, I don't work for the man anymore. There are a lot of things I would like to say, but that one just really fit the moment." He sighed. "The jerk was calling me to find you, all because he thinks that you're actually going to turn in your papers and walk away. If he had half a clue he would realize that you were calling Taylor on his bluff."

"Hm." Sharon hummed thoughtfully. Her fingers toyed with his tie. "Well, I suppose we will see how that all turns out. Right now, I refuse to think about it. What I want to do is go and see Nicole, and that baby, and then we are going to take your grandsons home and give them some kind of semblance of normalcy until their mother is out of the hospital."

"Is that what we're going to do?" His hand stroked downward along her arm until his fingers wrapped around hers. He let his thumb stroke the top of her hand. There were a lot of things that he would like to say in that moment. There was so much that he wanted to tell her. The words would come easily once he allowed them to begin flowing. The only problem was, Andy didn't think that she was ready to hear them yet. Taylor was always going to be an ass; that was nothing new. Why should she feel torn between her family and her job? Of course, there was the fact that she had considered _his_ family to be hers. Maybe the day was getting to him and he was reading too much in to that, but here she was. This wasn't one of her kids in trouble, it was his, and he hadn't even really had to ask her to come. He would do the same for her, and they both knew that. Andy could point out that with Rusty moving across country there was really nothing to hold her in Los Angeles except her job, but he felt like that would be capitalizing on something that she was only just starting to come to terms with. There was also that voice in the back of his mind that kept reminding him that he had asked her before, more than once, to join him up here; that she had not brought it up on her own in all these months was telling. The only person that could make that decision for Sharon was _Sharon_. All he could do was keep waiting, and keep hoping, and keep building the life that he was creating for himself up here, a life that, when she was ready to see it, Sharon would realize that he was building for both of them.

"Yes." There was a sparkle in his dark eyes that brought a smile to her lips. She missed seeing it, along with the crooked upturn of that grin that always made her feel like agreeing to anything. "That is exactly what we are going to do." She tapped his chest to punctuate that statement. "You can do what you like, Andrew Michael Flynn, but I am not leaving here without seeing that baby."

Andy drew her closer. His crooked grin spread into a full-fledged smile. "Wait a minute. Who is the grandparent here? You're awfully bossy all of a sudden."

As his arm slipped around her waist Sharon laughed, "I am fairly certain that you know full well that there is nothing _sudden_ about it. As to the rest…" She ducked her head. Her cheeks colored a light shade of pink. "Well, I said that I was going to live vicariously through you. You really should not act surprised now." She looked up at him through her lashes. There was a sparkle in her eyes, but her smile was more hesitant than it was before. "Is that a problem?"

"No," he rumbled quietly. "It isn't a problem at all." He tipped her chin up and dropped a light kiss onto her mouth. "Except that I am pretty sure you might shoot me if I teach the little guy to call you grandma."

"Yes." Sharon leaned in to him. "I might do exactly that." Now that he said it, she was left to wonder if she was all that opposed to the idea. This was a man that she could see herself building a life with, growing older together. Those ideas seemed to indicate that they would, at some point in their future, find themselves raising grandchildren together. She adored Nicole, and she was coming to like Charlie now that she was getting to know him better. Andy got along very well with Ricky, and when Emily's boyfriend had cheated on her, Andy had offered to fly out to New York and beat the crap out of him. Rusty had hurts that went very deep, but his relationship with Andy was not bad, and it was getting better all the time. Sharon shook her head before she could delve too deeply into those thoughts. She pulled Andy with her toward the waiting room door. "I may surprise you," she told him. "I think you will just have to try it and find out."

Andy took her hand as they walked down the hall. He was just stubborn enough to give it a go. They would have to see how it turned out. He was even sure he that could get Nicole on board with it. Andy decided that he would work on that, but for now, he let his mind drift back to his daughter. When they approached the door to her room, he knocked quietly. The summons to enter was quiet, and distinctly male. Andy pushed the door open slowly and peeked inside. He smiled to see Nicole awake. "Hey kid."

Dean was seated on the edge of Nicole's bed but stood up as her father entered. "Come on in guys. Sharon, we're glad you made it."

"So am I." She and Andy moved closer; they stopped on the other side of her bed. Sharon took her hand and leaned over to offer a gentle hug. "How are you, darling?"

"I can't feel anything yet," Nicole smiled tiredly, "so I think I'm doing great. The very nice nurse gave me morphine. I think she is my new favorite person."

"She is a little loopy," Vicki offered. She stood up and pulled her purse over her shoulder. "I am going to go and call Jeff," she said of her second husband, "you'll keep an eye on her?"

Andy fought the urge to roll his eyes. He smirked at his ex-wife instead. Their son-in-law was still standing in the room. "Yeah, I think we've got it for now. Charlie took the boys out to get dinner. When they get back, Sharon and I are going to take them home with us," as he spoke, his attention shifted back to Nicole and then Dean. "We'll keep them until you get home and settled."

"Dad, you don't have to do that." Nicole shook her head. "I know that you have to work. Dean and I will figure something out."

"Nonsense." It was Sharon that cut her off. "There is no reason at all for the two of you to shuffle anything right now. I know that you are your father's daughter, but you do not have to be stubborn, Nicole. Let us help you. We want to. I am going to be here for a few days, so there is nothing at all to worry about."

Nicole looked up at her husband. When he only gave her hand a squeeze, she smiled. "Thank you. I know that the boys will be ecstatic to spend time with you both. They love Grandpa's house."

"We're going to love having them." Andy settled his hand against the back of Sharon's neck, beneath the thick curtain of her hair. "We promise to spoil them rotten."

"There you have it." Vicki pointed at her daughter. "I cannot believe I am going to say this, but your father has it under control. Stop worrying. Now, I need to go call Jeff before lightening strikes me."

As she left Andy rolled his eyes. "I was standing right here."

"I am sure that she meant it as a compliment," Sharon gave his arm a light but reassuring pat. She shook her head at him. Now was not the time for any squabbling between him and his ex-wife.

Dean chuckled quietly. "I don't know about that." He had been on the receiving end of his mother-in-law's _compliments_ before. It kept him feeling very sympathetic where his father-in-law was concerned. He leaned over and kissed the top of his wife's head. "I'm going to go and check on our boy," he told her. Now that she was more cognizant, he would have them bring the baby down.

"Please." Nicole gave his hand a squeeze. She was desperate to see him. Dean had taken a picture of him, and he looked perfectly healthy, but nothing could replace having her son in her arms for the first time, and especially not after the fear they experienced earlier in the day. He had given them a scare, not in coming early, because it was only a few weeks, but in the sudden distress he had experienced that led to her surgery. As the doctor's explained it, their very active son had gotten tangled in his umbilical cord. Her early labor had become something of a blessing.

"Give me just a few minutes," Dean promised.

As he slipped quietly out of the room, Sharon sat on the edge of the bed. Andy stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders. "A boy?"

"Hm." Nicole smiled brightly. "Yes. It is my lot in life to be surrounded by handsome Abbott men. I really can't think of anything better." She laughed quietly. "My shower, it seems, is going to end up being a welcome home party."

"We'll just have to improvise some of the games," Sharon said. "Is there anything that you need? Is there anything that we should bring you?"

"No." Nicole's smile softened. "The only thing that I need is for all of my guys to be healthy and safe. I've got that. Mom and Charlie are going to stay at our house tonight. She is going to bring my bag with her tomorrow morning. Dad has a spare key so that the two of you can pick up things for the boys tonight. Honestly, I think that we are all very well taken care of. I am just glad that you made it. I thought dad was going to lose it."

Andy sighed heavily. "You promised not to tell," he told his daughter. Andy shook his head. He looked down at Sharon and shrugged. "What? That's my little girl."

Sharon reached up and lay a hand over his where it rested on her shoulder. "I am not going to say a word." Whatever he had done, she would not be surprised. It was hard to watch your children struggle. Andy was not a patient man on a good day, and as he had said, this was his little girl.

The grin that Nicole flashed at him was all Flynn. "I told you that I wouldn't tell mom. I said nothing about not telling Sharon." Her dark eyes were sparkling. "He didn't do so bad. I think that our dads are just hard-wired to want to glare at our husbands and tell them that this is all their fault."

"Well," Sharon laughed. "At least he didn't threaten him." She narrowed her eyes and craned her head back to look up at Andy. "Unless you did?"

"No." He scowled at her. "The thought crossed my mind."

"I am so proud of you," she crooned teasingly.

"Whatever." Andy rolled his eyes at both of them. "For the record," he grumbled, "Charlie wanted to take him out back too. It wasn't just me."

Nicole shook her head at him. "You know, Dad. I didn't crawl up on top of myself and get—"

"God almighty." Andy held up a hand. "Don't finish that sentence. Ever. Please."

Sharon snorted a quiet laugh. She didn't know Charlie that well yet, but it was in Nicole that she saw Andy the most. Vicki's quiet grace had tempered it, but the mischief and the personality, the sense of humor, and the way that she worried about those she loved. All of it was so incredibly like the man that she had come to love, how could she not adore this child of his?

Before they could tease Andy any further, the door to Nicole's hospital room opened again. Vicki and Dean reentered, with the latter holding the door as a nurse wheeled in a small, plastic isolette. All eyes were on the small, squirming bundle that was swaddled in a pale blanket with blue trim, with a small blue cap adorning his tiny head. Sharon and Andy moved from their spot beside Nicole and rounded the bed to make room for Dean. Andy looped an arm around Sharon's shoulders and pulled her into his side while they watched Dean lift the bundle and lay him in his mother's arms for the first time.

Vicki joined them. A soft sigh escaped her lips. There was a small smile curving her lips upward. She cast a look at her ex-husband and shook her head. Then she leaned over and quietly bumped his shoulder. Whatever else that had happened between them, they had set all of this in motion together. This was their child, and she was being introduced to her child for the first time. It was a moment to be enjoyed.

They were silent as they let Dean and Nicole have this moment with their new son. When the couple was ready, Nicole turned him in her arms so that his grandparents could see him. She shared a look with her husband, a silent communication and agreement on one of the names that they had already picked out. "We would like you all to meet Flynn Allen Abbott," Nicole said quietly. Both of Dean's elder sons had been named for him and his father. Coincidentally, Michael was her father's middle name, and Charlie had been named for him too, carrying the middle name Andrew. When they had discussed names, it seemed to fit to use the surnames of both of her parents. Allen had been her mother's maiden name.

She felt his surprise, and when he cleared his throat, Sharon knew that Andy was dealing with the emotion of that surprise. Nicole and Dean had not discussed names with any of the family. Now she understood why. It was a lovely gesture. Sharon smiled as she leaned her chin against his shoulder while her arms circled his waist. When he looked back at her, she winked at him. "I like it," she said quietly.

"Yeah." He pulled her closer. His attention moved back to his daughter and grandson. "So do I." He smiled warmly at his girl. "You did good, kid."

"Well don't just stand there." Vicki rolled her eyes at him. She nudged his shoulder hard. "That is your cue to hold him. Unless you would like me to go first?"

Andy cut a look at her. "The nice judge said I didn't have to take orders from you anymore. I got paroled."

"Not for good behavior either," she shot back with a smirk.

"Not in front of the baby, Victoria." Andy grinned crookedly as he stepped forward to lift the small infant. His dark eyes sparkled when she huffed. He knew that she would react to her full name, she always did. It was the fastest way to win or escalate an argument, although in this case they were not arguing. In his large hands the little guy seemed to weigh as much as a sack of flour. Andy lifted him close to his chest and was aware that his ex-wife had moved closer. He let his attention drift to the woman on his other side, though. He arched a brow at her. Despite his earlier thoughts, he couldn't help the words that tumbled out of his mouth. "You know, someone has to help me show this guy how to wrap those two around his finger. I'm pretty sure there are probably rules for proper spoiling… I'm not about to let this one," he jerked his head toward his ex-wife, "get all the fun. What do you think, want to hang around for a while and make sure it gets done right?"

The question was left hanging in the air. It was asked teasingly, but they all knew that was not where it ended. Sharon blinked up at him. There was a wealth of emotion in his gaze. What he wanted was right there and he wasn't hiding it from anyone. She just had not expected that he would toss it out into the open so easily, so casually, and with so many witnesses. Her mouth opened but there was no sound forthcoming. Sharon's gaze fell to the baby in his arms. She could not help the smile that curved her lips. His eyes were wide and unfocused. His mouth was working, and for just a second a line drew his brows together. Sharon could easily see Dean in his features, but that look, the brief indignation at whatever he found lacking in his current environment was all Flynn. She reached out and traced the tiny curve of his cheek before her gaze lifted back to his grandfather.

A crooked smile tugged a corner of her mouth upward. Sharon's eyes sparkled. She could not say that the thought had not crossed her mind during the flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco, but this decision needed to be more than a knee-jerk reaction to her current displeasure with her superiors. It was simply too big, too important for her to rush into out of anything but a conscious and well-informed desire to do so. In the past, she would have simply said no and they both knew that. This time, Sharon arched a brow at him and gave a delicate shrug as she returned his teasing tone. "Be careful, you have a certain amount of autonomy up here. Some day when you least expect it that might change." She poked his arm while her smile grew into a full-fledged grin. "You might even find yourself outranked again."

It was the most positive answer she had ever given to that question. Even if it wasn't an outright yes, Andy was bolstered by it. He grinned back at her. "Tell you what. You move up here, and I'll quit the damned job and we can just spend all our time on my boat."

Sharon's brows rose. "When did you get a boat?" He had previously only mentioned it as a passing desire.

"Tuesday." Andy grinned at her. "Wanna go back to my place and see it?"

"Okay old man." Vicki reached for their grandson. "Flirt on your own time. It's my turn." As she took the baby, she clucked her tongue. "Whatever your grandfather teaches you about women, just ignore…"

Nicole looked up at Dean when the bickering started. They were, at least, just teasing each other. He was seated beside her on the bed and she leaned tiredly into him. They were going to have their work cut out for them with this growing extended family. Whatever else might happen, at least all of the children would be loved, and with any luck, pretty soon, her dad wouldn't have to question whether or not he had a plus one.

 **-TBC-**


	7. Chapter 7

**Come the Rain**

 **by Kadi**

 **Rated: M**

 **Disclaimer:** It isn't my sandbox. It is my favorite place to play, however.

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

Andy did not expect life to change overnight. He knew that Sharon would go back to Los Angeles, and after a few days, she had. She waited until Nicole was at home and settled before she left, but she did eventually leave. They didn't talk about her moving again, but Andy noticed that there had been a shift. She no longer spoke of returning in terms of whether or not she could fit it into her schedule, but in how she would work her schedule around her visits north.

When she returned for Nicole's baby shower, turned welcome home party, she brought Rusty with her as planned. Most of the weekend was spent out on the water, exploring the bay from Andy's recently acquired boat. Ricky had joined them, and it hadn't taken a detective to figure out that was Rusty's doing. He did okay with them as a couple, for the most part, but there were still moments that were filled with awkwardness.

In the weeks that followed Andy began to notice little things. There were items left behind. The occasional sweater or other article of clothing left in the laundry was not unusual, but he started to notice more and more that certain items of casual attire were finding their way into his closet. There was a favorite sweater tossed over the back of an armchair in the living room, and a pair of boots tucked into the corner of the bedroom. There were cosmetics lining the vanity in his bathroom, and a book with a spare pair of glasses were left on the night stand on Sharon's side of the bed.

What came of her conversation with the Chief upon her return to Los Angeles, she wouldn't tell him. He asked her, of course, as they had spoken on the phone a day after her return. Sharon said only that it was handled, and told him not to worry about it, all in that casual airy way of hers that told him that she was putting the incident behind her and refusing to think of it again. He tried questioning Provenza about it, but all his old partner knew was that she had a meeting across the street and came back in a fairly decent mood. That conversation ended as his talks with Provenza always did these days, with his partner wanting to know when he was going to give up playing house and come back to work. Enough was enough, after all. Although his partner did still think it was all his fault that the kid was moving across the country. The old man might be proud as hell, but he didn't much like the idea of Rusty going off on his own. Andy just shook his head and called him a woman.

It put the idea in his head, though. He wondered at that. Rusty had never mentioned moving before, not that he knew about. He seemed pretty okay with the idea of going to USC the following fall. It wasn't necessarily that the two of them had talked about it, but Andy was sure that the kid would have mentioned it to Sharon and _she_ would have told him. It led Andy to wonder if it was all as out of the blue as it seemed. Where had this idea of Rusty's really come from? Was he moving because of them? Had he figured out that Sharon would never leave Los Angeles as long as he was there, and decided to do something about it? The kid was as devoted to her as she was to him, and that seemed just like the kind of crazy thing that he would come up with. Although, Andy also reflected that if it had to do with geography, Rusty could have just as easily moved up and gone to Berkeley or Stanford. He could have moved in with his brother and put his mother's mind at ease. He didn't have to move across the country to make her feel like she was free to live her own life. Rusty didn't have to do that at all, Sharon made her own choices; she always had.

Andy wouldn't put it past Rusty to do something this crazy for his mother, however. He tucked that thought away at the back of his mind and resolved to get to the bottom of it while there was still time for Rusty to undo some of the plans that were being made if that happened to be the case. It wasn't like he and Rusty sat around chatting on the phone, though. That wasn't the kind of relationship they had, or had ever had come to think of it. Andy knew that if he wanted to get an answer out of the kid he was going to have to look him in the eye.

He waited until the weekend of Sharon's birthday. Andy already planned to come up and surprise her. Now that he wanted the opportunity to talk to Rusty, he got the boy involved in his plans. Originally Andy was going to take Sharon out to dinner, but they had the entire weekend. He could still take her out at some point, but now he was planning on having dinner at the condo. It wasn't necessarily meant to be a surprise, but he didn't tell Sharon that he was coming. When he spoke to Rusty, he asked the kid not to mention it either, just in case plans changed.

Now here the two of them were, Rusty setting the table while Andy put the finishing touches on dinner. Sharon should join them soon. He had Rusty check to see how her schedule was looking for the day. She told him she would be home at the usual time. Well, the usual time for a day spent in court and finishing up paperwork rather than deeply involved in a case. Andy eyed the boy as he stirred the glaze that would be poured over the steamed vegetables. He was making all of Sharon's favorites, right down to the roast he sliced a few minutes before. She would enjoy it, and he had added in a couple of vegetarian dishes for himself.

"So," he said, and shifted the topic of conversation away from the woman that they both loved. "GW huh?" Andy arched a brow at Rusty. "That's a pretty big move. Not a bad school." He grinned. "At least, that's what Nicole and Sharon tell me." They both knew that he wouldn't know one college from another. I understand Provenza is still having a fit?"

Rusty laughed. He walked over and leaned against the bar. "Yeah. He's not happy. Sharon told me to find _my school_. I think I did that. I hope I did. If I get there and I'm wrong it's really going to suck."

"Not to mention," Andy pointed the spoon he held at him, "that Provenza will never let you hear the end of it. You better be sure." He shifted his gaze back to the stove for a moment. "This move," he ventured carefully. "It's just about school right?"

"Oh my god!" Rusty pushed away from the bar. He rolled his eyes at the other man. "You are supposed to be the expert. I can't believe you let the Lieutenant get inside your head." Rusty huffed a sigh. He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Yes, because I'm going to move several thousand miles away so that my mom can shack up with her boyfriend, which she would do anyway, if she wanted to." Rusty tilted his head and gave Andy a bland look. "Really?"

Andy studied him for a moment before he shook his head and chuckled. "Yeah, okay. When you put it like that, I guess it does sound pretty stupid. You know I have to ask, right?" He walked over and stood at the workstation. Andy rested his hands against the dark, granite surface. "It's not about letting Provenza get inside my head. Sharon is going to miss you like crazy, and if you are doing this for her—"

"I am." Rusty interrupted him. "Just not the way that you think I am. Sharon has been telling me, almost since the moment that I met her, that I could go to a good school. I could do what I want to do at USC." Rusty shrugged at him. "I could even figure it out at UCLA. They are really good schools. They just aren't the best that I can do. That's what I learned from Sharon. I can't…" He sighed. Rusty rested his hands against the edge of the counter as he stood opposite Flynn. "I can't stay around here just waiting for Sharon to swoop in and make everything okay for me. I have to go and do that for myself. When I first came here," he gestured around the condo, "I didn't fit anywhere. There was nowhere that I belonged. That isn't true now. I know where I belong, and it isn't a place. It took me a long time to figure that out. Now that I know that, I know that I can go. I can… I can go to a school that will make me the best that I can be, and I will still have a place to come back to." Rusty fidgeted a bit under the other man's gaze. "So yeah, I'm doing it for Sharon; I'm doing it because it's what all of this was all about." Rusty shrugged again. "If she moves or if she doesn't, that isn't about me, and it's not about Ricky or Emily, or your kids, or anyone else. That's on you two. You and Sharon are going to have to figure that one out on your own."

Where had the sarcasm gone? Where was the little brat he once called a psycho for being such an irritating pain in the ass? Andy cocked his head at the younger man. He felt a grin forming. There were still a lot of ways left in which Rusty needed to grow. There was much left to learn. In so many aspects of his life he was way ahead of his peers, but in just as many, he was way behind too. Andy shook his head. "Somewhere during the last several years you went and grew up on us."

"Give me some credit." Rusty made a face at him. "I wasn't going to be sixteen forever." He looked down at the breakfast bar that stood between them. "Although, I think there was a time when I didn't think I'd make it to seventeen, much less eighteen or beyond. I guess…" His gaze shifted as he thought through his next statement. "I guess it's like, if I don't leave, I'm still stuck, waiting for the other shoe to drop. You know? Waiting for Weller, and Stroh, and Daniel, and my mom, and all of those other things that happened to come back and haunt me. If I stay here, it's like a part of them wins. Then nothing that Sharon did, or I did, or Hobbs, or Lieutenant Provenza, or Buzz, Rios, or even you did matters. If I go, if I make it, that's me; but it's not _all_ on me, because I didn't get there alone." Rusty tapped his fingers against the granite surface of the bar. It was cool to the touch. He concentrated on that for a moment, and on the patterns that the specks and swirls of the granite made. "It's a little like what you told me about my mom. Rehab and the meetings were tools. She had to do the work. That's what I'm doing too." When Rusty looked up again, he was grinning. "Surprise. I was actually listening."

Andy regarded him closely. "I don't think that anyone ever doubted _that_ Rusty. I think the only question that any of us had was what you were going to do with all of it." It was his turn to shrug. "Now I guess we know."

"I guess we do." Rusty smirked at him. "I learned a lot from everyone." He rolled his eyes. "Even the evil stepfather." At Andy's questioning look, he snorted. "Jack." He expected the eye roll that he got. Any mention of Sharon's ex-husband had that effect on the other man. "Although to hear the grumpy co-parent tell it, I learned everything from him."

He snorted a laugh. Andy leaned back against the counter behind him and folded his arms across his chest. "If Jack is the evil stepdad and Provenza is the grump co-parent," he asked carefully, eyes narrowing thoughtfully, "what does that make me?"

Rusty grinned widely. "My mother's goofy boyfriend."

"Ah." Andy nodded slowly. "There it is. There is the smart ass that I know."

"Yeah." Rusty pushed away from the bar and walked back over to finish setting the table. "Hang around for a little while, maybe later I'll sing and dance too."

They were still laughing when the front door of the condo opened a few minutes later. Sharon walked into the apartment to find a brightly smiling Rusty, eyes alight with laughter and cheeks flushed. It brought an immediate smile to her face. "Hey you." She dropped her purse and keys in their usual spot and toed out of her shoes before walking across the living room. Her eyes scanned the table and her brows rose. "Rusty, you didn't have to do all of this. I told you that we could order out."

"I didn't." Rusty pointed into the kitchen. "He did." He had lived with Sharon long enough that he was used to watching her expressions as they shifted. It stilled filled him with warmth when her face lit up, like it just did, every time that she saw him. It was a look that was especially reserved for him and his siblings. It was filled with excitement and happiness, and so much love that it used to make him uncomfortable; Rusty didn't believe that he deserved it, but now he basked in it. He watched her now, though, as her head turned and she looked into the kitchen. He watched the confusion give way to a softness that he couldn't quite name. Her eyes lit up, they sparkled, but not in a way that meant she was happier to see Flynn, but with a different kind of happiness. It was a look that made Rusty almost uncomfortable, like he wasn't meant to be witnessing it. Whatever her day had held, he saw it all fade away. The lines around her eyes and mouth softened as her lips curved. Rusty shoved his hands into his pockets and forced himself to look away. He turned back to the table and busied himself there. He didn't have to question anymore that Sharon was in love with Andy, or that the former Lieutenant felt the same way. He had seen and heard enough over the course of their relationship to fully understand all of that. What he could stop questioning now was that it made her happy. Whatever else he knew to be true, Rusty didn't have to question _that_ , at least not anymore.

For just a moment upon seeing him her heart fluttered. Her stomach rolled and leaped with excitement. Sharon shook her head at him. She had hoped that he would come up this weekend, but they had not discussed it, and she had not really allowed herself to think about it too much. Here he was, however. He was standing in her kitchen and grinning crookedly at her. It was that same boyish grin that she had first fallen in love with. His eyes were twinkling back at her, mischief and happiness, and so much more on display for her. Sharon touched Rusty's arm briefly before she walked toward the kitchen. She drew her bottom lip between her teeth before she let go of a soft, happy laugh. "What are you doing here?"

"Tomorrow is your birthday," he said simply. Andy wiped his hands on a towel and walked out of the kitchen. "You didn't think I would miss that, did you?" He waggled his brows at her. "Not like it's the big one. We're saving the party for next year."

Sharon moaned and rolled her eyes at him. Her smile only grew. She could only imagine what he would have planned for that one. She would be turning sixty. It wasn't a number that she liked to entertain, even if she didn't shy from life's milestones. "Thank you for reminding me." She took a step closer and laid a hand against his chest. He was wearing the gray button down and the dark red tie. Sharon tugged playfully on the tie and leaned closer. "How long can you stay?"

There was a playful quip on the tip of his tongue but Andy shot a quick look at Rusty before he bent his head. His lips brushed lightly against her cheek. "Tuesday," he said quietly. "I have an afternoon flight, so you have me all weekend." He was having lunch with Provenza on Monday, and thought he might stop in and see the rest of the team too, but pending any emergencies, he was all hers. Andy didn't have the same kind of wild schedule changes that Sharon did. His was a small community and a job that was mostly about paperwork and the occasional drunk tourist.

"Tuesday." She repeated it quietly. Sharon hummed. They would have three days together. She would take it, especially considering the impromptu nature of the visit. She smiled up at him. "When Ricky called me today and said that he was sorry he couldn't make dinner, I thought he was talking about something that he and Rusty planned together. How," she turned and looked at her son, "did you both manage to keep this from me?"

"We didn't tell Emily." Rusty said it with a straight face, but then he laughed. "They both checked their schedules, but we kind of already knew it would be Mother's day before they could visit. I didn't tell Emily that Andy was coming, and Ricky kind of figured that was a given." He rocked back on his heels and grinned crookedly at her. "You are not always the all knowing."

"The kid is starting to inherit your sense of occasion," Andy teased. "It really wasn't that hard to slip this one by you. Just wait until next year."

There was a sense of foreboding in his tone that had Sharon turning. She pointed a finger at him. "If I see even one black balloon, I am coming for you. _Both_ of you," she stated, and included Rusty in that promise too since he was grinning so happily at the idea.

"It's not us that you should worry about," Rusty told her.

Andy shared a look with him before they both looked at the woman standing between them. "Ricky," they both said. "And Provenza," the former added. "He is especially excited about it, but you didn't hear that from me."

Sharon groaned. "Oh god." She wouldn't even put it past Ricky to team up with him if he thought the effect might be grander.

Rusty laughed. "Look on the bright side, Sharon. Maybe he will retire first."

"That'll never happen." Andy walked back into the kitchen and lifted the saucepan with his glaze off the stove. "That old pain in the ass is going to die with his stapler in his hand. You know, he once made me promise to have it buried with him."

"Well, it is his favorite stapler." Rusty managed to keep a straight face for only a moment before he snickered. "I switched it out once," he told them, "with a completely identical stapler and he knew. I even put his name on the new one, and still he figured it out after like two seconds. You do not come between a Lieutenant and his stapler." Rusty picked up a stack of napkins and carried them to the table. "My lesson was learned."

Sharon remembered that incident. Rusty had ended up doing the Lieutenant's filing for a week. She laughed as she pulled a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. "There might have been a reason for that beyond his unnatural attachment to the stapler." She leaned her hip against the counter and smiled crookedly at her son. "Buzz may have told him."

"What?" Rusty's eyes widened. "No way. He didn't." He dropped the napkins on the table and put his hands on his hips. "Buzz ratted me out? I had paper cuts for days!"

"Well," Sharon explained carefully, eyes sparkling, "That might have also been the time when Buzz was particularly put out with you for skipping a tutoring session, after he cancelled the first date he had in over a year just to accommodate your schedule." That had been some years before, when dealing with Rusty was still something of a trial for even the most patient person. Rusty had gotten better, and so had all of them, truthfully. "There is a second lesson to be learned here," Sharon pointed out with a grin. "Do not anger the Buzz."

Rusty groaned loudly. He pushed a hand through his hair. "I can't believe you knew and never told me!"

Sharon's brows shot up. "Are you joking? He makes the coffee run." She walked into the dining room and looped an arm around his shoulders. "I love you, but I was never going to risk it. Besides, you needed to learn your lesson, and I think that you did. You did not mess with the Lieutenant's desk again, nor did you ever skip another tutoring session with Buzz. All around, I would say that it was successful." She gave his shoulders a squeeze before stepping away from him again.

"You are so predictable," Rusty decided. "That is exactly something you would let them do to me, just to teach me a lesson." He made a face at her, but couldn't _not_ grin at it all. It was just so very _Sharon_. He was really going to miss her, and he was going to miss this, but like he had told Andy, this wasn't just something that he had to do. Moving away was something that he _needed_ to do.

"Yes it is." Sharon was completely unapologetic about it. She turned her attention to Andy and her smile softened. "How long until dinner?"

"About ten minutes." His shoulders were still shaking with laughter. "You have time to change."

"I will only need five." She slipped quietly away from them. Sharon made her way down the hall to her bedroom. She smiled as she stepped inside. There was a suitcase on the bench at the foot of her bed, but it was not the bag that drew her attention. There was a t-shirt folded and resting on her pillow. She placed the water in her hand on the dresser before walking over and lifting it. She exhaled quietly as she picked it up and brought it to her face. It was the old, faded t-shirt that she usually slept in. Of all the items that she had left behind the last time that she was in Morgan Bay, this was the one that she could not do without. It was meant to come home with her, but it hadn't made the trip.

Sharon closed her eyes and inhaled. It smelled of him. He had worn it recently. It brought a happy smile to her lips. He would know that she was missing it, missing him. She sighed quietly. She really did love that man. It made the separations harder, but the time that they were together was all the more enjoyable for it. She told herself that some day soon they would live in a world where they wouldn't have to live apart, but that was not a promise that she could make yet. Not to herself and certainly not to Andy, but more and more she was finding that Los Angeles just did not hold her heart, not anymore.

After dinner, and once Rusty had returned to his dorm for the night, Andy joined Sharon on the balcony with their tea. He also had a wrapped package under his arm. When her brows rose askance, he shrugged. "Nicole sent it." His gift was still forthcoming, and he would give it to her over breakfast. It was only a simple token, a bracelet that he had noticed her admiring in an artisan shop in Morgan Bay. The gift from Nicole was the real surprise.

Andy joined her where she was sitting on the chaise. He laid the gift on her legs and stretched out beside her. His arm looped around her shoulders as she snuggled in to his side. The evening was cool, but it was not uncomfortable. "She didn't have to do this," Sharon told him, even as she slipped a thumb into the corner of the wrapping paper and opened it.

"I tried to tell her that," Andy said. "That kid of mine, she's a stubborn one." Andy grinned down at her. "The thing is, this one is kind of great. Nicole only had three of them printed up. I didn't even get a copy of it." He swept a lock of her hair aside and toyed with her earring while she revealed the gift.

"Oh." Sharon drew a breath. It was a framed photograph. Nicole and Dean had prints of the boys done, all three of them. It was very well done; the photographer had even managed to capture a smile from young Flynn, a feat that was not simple with an infant. "It's lovely," she said softly. What did it say for her, or her age, that she was so deeply touched by it?

"She had this one done for Evelyn, Vicki, and you. She was a little nervous about it," Andy admitted. "I told her that you wouldn't mind." It was a little presumptuous that she was including Sharon, but that was his girl. She made up her mind and there wasn't a lot that would change it. He wasn't completely sure if she got that from him or Vicki, or if she came by it two-fold, but there was no dissuading Nicole when she was truly set on something.

"No," she assured him. "I really do not mind at all." Sharon's fingers gently traced the edge of the frame. "It is much too late now, I will call her tomorrow and thank her." Sharon held the photo for just a moment longer before she placed it on the table beside them. She turned on the chaise and settled more securely in his embrace. "Have I mentioned yet how glad I am that you are here?"

"Not yet." Andy's fingers stroked through her hair. "I was starting to wonder. I thought I might have to go bunk with Provenza tonight." Her head was tucked into the crook of his neck and he felt the curve of her lips when she smiled. "He snores, you know, and he's nowhere near as pretty in the morning."

Sharon chuckled quietly. "It scares me that you know that. Do I have to be worried about the competition?" Too many stakeouts and years spent working together, she knew, but she felt the rumble of his laughter before she heard it. It warmed her through. Sharon nuzzled his neck and inhaled deeply. She hummed as her eyes closed.

"Nah. I might need to be, though." Andy's hand slid down her back. "He's the co-parent. All those long, emotional hours spent together," he teased. "It could be trouble."

"Rusty." Sharon shook her head. "I am glad that it amuses him, but I may spend the rest of my life having nightmares." Her hand stroked lazily up and down his chest, beneath his tie.

"You're not the only one. That took me to a really dark place." He turned his head and let his lips brush against her hair. "Missed you."

"Hm." Sharon lifted her head. She propped it in her hand and smiled down at him. "Three days?" When he nodded she leaned down and brushed a kiss across his mouth. "We'll make the best of it," she promised him. They always did. It would carry them through until the next visit. Until the next time that she was with him, with a much better view, or on his boat with nothing but the waves around them and the warmth of the sun beating down on them.

He reached up and cupped the tip of her chin. His thumb traced the line of her bottom lip. "How about we just talk about right now," he rumbled quietly. He didn't want to think about tomorrow or the day after. He didn't want to think about how much or how little time they had together. He only wanted to enjoy it while they could. Andy drew her down into a soft kiss. He busied himself with the feel and the taste of her. It kept him from voicing the thought that was foremost on his mind. It stopped him from asking her to go back with him. At least for a little while longer.

 **-TBC-**


	8. Chapter 8

**Come the Rain**

 **by Kadi**

 **Rated: M**

 **Disclaimer:** It isn't my sandbox. It is my favorite place to play, however.

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

He wasn't going to say that he had been looking forward to that day. He wouldn't give anyone the satisfaction of knowing it. The simple truth was, at his age, more of his friends were gone than still around. They had either moved on to their retirement, or as was becoming the status quo, they were dead. He was an old man, everyone he counted as a friend, with the exception of a few, were also old. Like Flynn. But he was put out with his former partner for another reason entirely.

The idiot had up and retired, and then moved. If it wasn't bad enough that he was leaving him alone with the captain and all their cases, he'd gone and moved off a few hundred miles away. Who was going to pick up his tab at the bar now? Or drive him home? Or go to games with him?

Sure, he could spend some quality time with Patrice, and they had their fun together. The thing is, they liked to have their fun _apart_ too. That was what he had Flynn for, and now the moron was gone, or at least very far away.

He wasn't looking forward to that lunch for the usual reasons. Most people might think he was glad to just see his friend. It wasn't necessarily that he was _unhappy_ to see him, but most people were not Provenza. What he was looking forward to most was the opportunity to outline, in complete detail, every way in which his old pal was a complete and total buffoon.

Provenza's mood did not improve any when, because they were caught in the middle of a case, Flynn arrived near noon carrying takeout bags from a deli down the street that the team preferred. He was all grins and waves, and it was as if he hadn't been gone at all. There was one very large difference though, a huge reminder that he no longer worked there. Provenza watched through the open blinds of the Captain's office as Flynn stepped inside and leaned over the desk to kiss her in greeting, as if that was something that he did every day. It would never have happened before, that was for damned sure.

While the others were diving into their sandwiches or salads at their desks, Provenza grabbed his and stood up. He cast a dark scowl at his former partner as he started down the hall. "Let's go, before you do something really stupid and forget that you don't belong here anymore. The last thing we need are uppity cops from upstate trying to work our cases for us."

He didn't hear what Flynn mumbled, but he had a pretty good idea he knew what it was from the way Julio and Mike were laughing. Provenza only glared at them before he stalked off down the hall. Once he was in the break room, he dropped his sandwich onto one of the tables and turned. He waited, counting seconds, until Flynn walked through the door. After it was closed again, he pointed a finger at the other man. "What is wrong with you?"

Andy rolled his eyes. He didn't have enough information to pinpoint Provenza's mood, so he walked over and poured himself a cup of coffee. "I'm pretty sure you're going to tell me," he remarked, tone dry. "Why don't we just skip to that part?" Andy turned where he stood and leaned back against the counter. It was just like old times; Provenza was in a foul mood and he was on the receiving end of it. He couldn't feel more at home if they had Oderno clean off his old desk and put some of his old case files on it.

"You're already being an idiot," Provenza told him. "Don't be an ass too." He pulled out one of the chairs and sat on it. "How long," he began, speaking slowly, as if he was talking to a child, "do you intend to keep this up?"

"Pissing you off?" Andy shrugged. He glanced at his watch. "My plane doesn't leave until one tomorrow. I can probably go all day. The question is, how much time do _you_ have." He took a sip of his coffee and smirked at the older man. "You're the one with the case to work. I'm on vacation."

Provenza's glower darkened. "That is exactly my point, moron. I'm talking about all this back and forth the two of you are doing. You're here, she's there, and when neither of you are anywhere, the rest of us have to deal with the misery." He opened his sandwich with an added flourish as a smirk tugged at his mouth. "So, how long are you planning on dragging out this travesty you call a long distance relationship?"

"Is this your way of asking me to move back?" Andy decided to not be offended. Provenza had always been opinionated and had no problem sharing that opinion, whether you wanted him to or not. "You miss me. I get it," he continued. "You know, there's a fix for that. You should come up for a couple of days. We'll take the boat out, do some fishing. It'll be great. When is the last time _you_ had a day off anyway? I think you need one. You're acting a little grumpier than usual."

Provenza said nothing. He lifted his sandwich and took a bite. He let Flynn stew for a minute, thinking that he was just that amusing. He stood up and walked around the room to pour himself a cup of coffee. It was not until he returned to his seat that Provenza fixed his partner with a look. "I am talking about the fact that you are pretending to be in a relationship, but everyone knows that long distance never lasts. Name for me one long distance relationship that hasn't ended up in ruins inside of a year."

Flynn's lips pursed. He shrugged. "Howard and the Chief," he said simply. He lifted his coffee again. His dark eyes were sparkling. Andy waggled his brows as he took a drink. That one was easy enough. "What else you got?"

"Okay, they are just weird." Provenza made a face. "I'm talking about reality. Neither one of you is getting any younger; in case you forgot to notice. Sooner or later you're going to have to figure this thing out. The writing is on the wall and everyone sees it but you, and I do mean _everyone_."

Andy rolled his eyes again. "God almighty. Look, Rusty is not moving because Sharon and I are living apart. I get that you're upset about that, but it doesn't have anything to do with our relationship. The kid wants to go to a good school. Would you lighten up? Geez!" Andy pushed away from the counter; he walked over and took a seat across from the older man. "What do you want me to do? Break up with her? Would that make you feel better?"

"Don't be dumber than usual." Provenza picked a pickle off his sandwich with a wrinkled nose. Flynn had done that on purpose, he was sure of it. "What would make me feel better is not having to pick up all the slack around here and play go-between every time Taylor gets his panties in a twist because hers truly has run off to spend some quality time with you."

"Can we not talk about Taylor's panties?" Andy made a face at him. "Ever." He sighed. "Don't you think I want to put an end to some of this back and forth? You think I like all this running from here to there?" He shook his head. "Well, I don't. I really don't." Andy leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. He placed the cup in front of him and gestured with his hands as he spoke. "Do you know how many times I've asked her to move up there with me? It's not like I can move back. I mean, I guess I could," he added, "but I really don't want to. I like it too damned much, and now Nic has the new baby…" He shrugged a second time and his shoulders slumped a bit. Andy picked up his coffee cup. "Sharon isn't ready. I all but proposed. Hell, I did basically propose, and she didn't exactly say no, but she ain't saying yes yet either."

"How do you basically propose?" Provenza reached up and rubbed his forehead. "God save me from idiots in love," he groaned. Now he had a headache. He had always known the two of them would be the end of him, and now here it was. It was an aneurism, he knew. He was going to end up keeling over any minute from the burst blood vessel that these two morons caused him. Provenza sighed heavily. "Never mind. I know you too well. You basically proposed just like you basically asked her out a thousand times before you finally made it clear that it was a date. You're a wuss," Provenza decided.

Andy leaned back in his chair. "Come again?" His dark eyes narrowed. "Would you like to repeat that, and while you're at it, remember that you're older than me. I can still kick your ass." He was reaching the end of his patience with the other man's line of questioning. His relationship with Sharon was really not open for discussion with anyone, and certainly not with Provenza if all he wanted to do was criticize them.

"In your dreams," he replied easily. Provenza waved a hand at him. "You're a wuss. A coward. A chicken shit," he explained. "You leave everything too damned open ended. What you should be doing is getting a ring, telling the witch that you want her to park her broom with yours from now on, and get it over with. I don't understand what is so hard about it. Nicole has practically got the new baby calling her Grandma already, and it won't be long before the older two follow suit. Be a man, make it official."

"You're an ass." Andy stood up to pace around the room. His own frustration at how things were playing out wouldn't allow him to sit still. "I would like to do nothing else, but you know as well as I do that we can't just push Sharon into something that she doesn't want to do. Even if she _does_ want it, that doesn't change the fact that she isn't ready. When she is, she will let me know. Until then, all I can do is be patient."

"You mean cowardly," Provenza corrected for him. "What is there for her here now anyway? Taylor is breathing down her neck; Pope is bending over backwards to placate her until he stabs her in the back by finding a replacement. On top of all of that, yes, the kid is moving. He's going to be gone in a few months. Man up, take your old lady home with you, and be done with it."

"For the record," Andy stopped pacing and pointed a finger at him, "she ever finds out you said that, it's your ass, not mine. I would never call her that." He knew only too well just how good a shot she was. "I think the problem here is that you're getting too soft in your old age, you're not just playing matchmaker," he drawled, "you're forgetting who you're dealing with. Do the words Darth and Raydor mean nothing to you anymore?"

Provenza snorted a laugh. "Not since you went and made her a grandmother." He grinned widely. "Talk about someone getting soft in their old age. Do you have any idea how many baby pictures I have seen in the last few weeks? I'm not talking about the couple that you sent me. Oh no…" He tapped his fingers on the table. "I could not tell you how many times a day her phone goes off. I don't get that many pictures of my own grandkids." That was probably a gross over exaggeration, but he was trying to make a point. "I know you," he said again, "you're trying to play it cool because you still think that she is going to spook. Here's the thing, you all but just admitted the fact that this particular woman doesn't scare easy. So why don't you stop being the one in that relationship that is spooked and put your money where your mouth is. Just tell her, for crying out loud."

"It's a mistake." Andy sat down again. He slumped in the chair. "If I put her in a position to say no, what is left for either one of us?" That was the thing that he was trying to avoid. As long as it was vague, as long as he was just letting her think about it, then everything was okay. There was still hope for how things would turn out. If he pushed her though, if he backed her into a corner, there was a good chance that he wouldn't like the answer she gave him. There was a very good chance that he would blow their entire relationship to hell. Sharon didn't deal well with being backed into a corner, just the opposite, actually. She always came out fighting. "I don't know," he mumbled.

"Oh for the love of…" Provenza groaned. "Do not turn into a love-sick puppet on me now. It's bad enough you've been acting like a fool. If she says no, then what was there for you to begin with?" He leaned forward and pointed at his partner. "If she isn't willing to do her part then what is any of this about? What is the point? It isn't like you took a job somewhere. You moved closer to your family, although I have my own opinions about all of that, it wasn't necessarily a _bad_ thing. It's also just the kind of thing that Sharon would appreciate. Otherwise she wouldn't be bothering to hop back and forth like she is. Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, what she needs is for you to stand up and give her a choice? Maybe she's tired of living with ambiguous ideas of what the future is going to hold." He shook his head. "Like I said. Man up."

Andy wasn't convinced. He couldn't stop thinking that it was a terrible idea. He didn't know what either of them would do if he took away that hope for what their future might hold. Right now it was good. Yeah, he missed her like hell and all the traveling wasn't convenient, but they were together as much as they could be. Once that was gone, what would happen? What was going to come of them if they both had to face the reality that this was it? That what they had together was never going to be more than a weekend here or a couple of days there, moments in time, stolen seconds and days.

Those thoughts remained with Andy after he left the PAB that afternoon. Provenza had given him a lot to think about and he was plenty put out with his partner for that. Why couldn't the old grump just let them remain blissfully oblivious to the reality of their situation? Why did he have to go and turn up the volume on the clock the way he had. As if Andy couldn't already hear it ticking away, the seconds of what was left of their relationship moving out of his grasp.

He tried to put it aside and enjoy the rest of his evening with Sharon. She was late getting home, but that didn't surprise him, not with the team heavily involved in a case. She was tired, and he knew that she would still be at the office if it weren't for him. She had come home to spend his last few hours in LA with him.

Andy filled the tub while she made herself a cup of tea. Afterward, in the steam filled bathroom, while they soaked in water that left their skin flushed and the air in the room humid, Andy continued to think about what his partner had said. Sharon was reclining against the opposite side of the tub. Her hair was pulled up, but loose tendrils were clinging damply to her face and neck. Her eyes were closed, but there was a small smile playing at her lips. Andy curled his fingers around her ankle and lifted her leg. His fingers danced along her calf. He watched her smile widen a bit and her lids flutter without opening. His thumb traced a drop of water along the inside of her knee.

Her cheeks and neck were flushed with the heat. Andy followed it with his eyes to where the flush disappeared beneath the level of the water. He sighed quietly and turned his gaze to her leg. He concentrated on the delicate line of her ankle and the soft curve of her calf. "I love you," his voice rumbled in the silent room. "You know that, right?"

Sharon hummed. Her eyes opened. She looked across the length of the tub and smiled at him. He had been pensive all evening, longer than that, if she was honest about it. Something in his visit today had bothered him. Her fingers moved against the side of the tub to touch his knee. "Yes," she said easily. "I know that." She watched his gaze lift to hers. There was a gleam of worry in his dark eyes. "I love you too," she told him.

"Yeah." He never questioned that. Once her emotions were engaged, Sharon was all in. "So," he could pick his words carefully, but maybe the old reprobate had a point. Maybe it was time he just came out and said it. "Don't you think that maybe it's time you came home with me?" He put emphasis on the word, because he was more than aware that she had stopped calling Los Angeles home months ago.

She drew her foot out of his grasp with a sigh. Sharon sat up in the tub. She drew her knees against her chest, but her gaze didn't waver. Instead she reached across and let her fingers brush the curve of his jaw. "Not yet." It was a line that she was standing on, but she wasn't ready to step across it yet. There was so much that still felt undone here, so much that she felt she would be leaving behind. Sharon knew what she wanted for her future and she could see Andy in it so clearly, but it still felt so far away. "Andy, I'm not ready yet to…" To what? Give up her life? She wouldn't be, _he_ was part of her life. To give up her friends, her job, and her home? That was quite possibly what was holding her back. It was a big step. Once she made it, there was no turning back. Sharon didn't want either of them to end up regretting the life that they had together because they had allowed their emotions to guide their actions. "I need—"

He reached out and pressed his thumb against her lips. It wasn't a _no_ , but it wasn't a _yes_ either. She was struggling with the idea, but she was at least still thinking about it. It was good enough for him. To hell with what Provenza or any others might think about it. It was all he needed to know to help him stay the course. Andy shook his head at her. "It's okay," he told her. "When you are ready…" He wasn't going anywhere. He would still be there.

"I know." She took his hand and held it against her cheek. Sharon turned her face into it and allowed her lips to brush his palm while her eyes closed. "I miss you," she told him. "Every day. This isn't easy. I know what I want. Doing it is the hard part. Soon," she promised him. Sharon wasn't going to allow either of them to linger very much longer. "There is a lot going on right now." She lifted her gaze to his again and gave him a small, soft smile. "Let me get Rusty moved, and then we will talk about it. I promise."

Their kids came first. That was why they were in this predicament to begin with. How could Andy argue with that? What was she asking for, really? Just a few more months; they had been living apart for this long. They could handle doing it until the summer. Andy pulled her toward him. Water sloshed over the side of the tub, but he ignored it. He turned her around and settled her against his chest. His arms folded around her and his face turned into her hair. His lips were soft against her ear. "We will get Rusty moved," he said, "and then we will talk about it."

She hummed again. Warmth filled her at the simple reminder that they were in this relationship together, all parts of it. If they were going to have a future together, blending it together started now. Then again, as she reflected on little Flynn's party a few weeks before, and the way in which Rusty had kept the older boys entertained while simultaneously helping Nicole tease her father about how he hadn't put the baby down even once… they had started working on blending it long before they realized how important they were to each other. Sharon pulled his arms more securely around her and settled comfortably against his chest. "Yes. After we do that," she agreed, "we can work on the rest." Their next step was not going to be an easy one. They had each other to lean on while they faced it.

 **-TBC-**


	9. Chapter 9

**Come the Rain**

 **by Kadi**

 **Rated: M**

 **Disclaimer:** It isn't my sandbox. It is my favorite place to play, however.

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

The distance became easier after they had a more definite end point. Nothing would change or stop them from missing one another when they were apart, but the ticking of the clock that had defined their time together before became a countdown. Every day, whether they were together or living their lives separately was another day gone, it was another day closer to that point in time when they would be able to sit down and have an honest conversation about what they were doing, and where they were going, and most importantly, the geography of it all.

Scheduling was still an issue. That didn't change just because they both felt more confident now. It was harder for Andy to get to Los Angeles now that Nicole's family had grown plus one. He was spending more of his time helping with the older grandsons. She and Dean had a schedule and they stuck to it, but it was good for the boys to have time that wasn't defined by the presence of their new baby brother.

Sharon still tried to get to Morgan Bay once a month. It wasn't always possible; she had a responsibility to her team, however, and that would not allow her to turn her back on all of the things that were keeping her rooted in Los Angeles. Now that spring was in full swing the temperatures in Northern California had started to warm, and Rusty's move was looming closer. Major Crimes had just spent an arduous two weeks closing the case of a serial killer that was leaving bodies along Interstate 5 between Los Angeles and Anaheim. The division had racked up more overtime than it should in long hours and too many nights spent in the Murder Room. Tired though she was after finally wrapping the case, that hadn't stopped Sharon from catching her scheduled flight North.

Travel time was always a few hours between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Flight itself would only last an hour, if that. Between security, boarding, and everything else that went with traveling, by the time she stepped through the checkpoint on the other end and laid eyes on Andy, she was glad that she let him talk her into picking her up. Sharon usually rented a car when she made the trip north, but they were planning on picking up Michael and Tommy for the weekend. Since Andy had to make the trip into town anyway, it was only sensible that he pick her up too. At least that was the very logical argument he gave her. Now she was glad for it. Sharon didn't think that she would be able to keep her eyes open long enough to maneuver through San Francisco traffic and the flight hadn't been long enough for a nap.

Sharon only had the one bag. She let go of it when she reached Andy and stepped into the waiting embrace. She tucked her face against his neck and inhaled deeply. It had only been a few weeks since they last saw one another, but this last case had been a rough one. There was never one that was _easy_ exactly, but some were worse than others, and this one certainly fell into that category. Sharon hadn't given him much in the way of specifics when they spoke the evening before, but she knew that she didn't need to. He could fill in the blanks that she left for him. The hardest part had been watching Mike go down with a bullet to his vest. He was sore, but he was otherwise unharmed. It could have been so much worse, and if anything, it reminded all of them why they kept going. It reminded them why the held so tightly to the lives they had outside of their jobs.

So she held on to Andy now. It was the knowledge that this moment would come, along with the trust that she had in her team, and the justice system that had carried her during the dark days of the previous two weeks. She had known that she would have this light to bask in, this warmth to relish. She held tightly to him in the middle of the busy baggage claim area and allowed the simple act of being held to be the solace that her soul had needed.

She was usually very careful about how she conducted herself in public. She tried not to make a spectacle of herself, and they were both private enough people that they were not overly affectionate in public. Maybe it was age, or even a little bit of temperance, whatever names that it was given, it was only a hug. Hadn't she once watched a silly romantic comedy with Emily that was all about the way that people greeted one another in airports? Sharon couldn't really remember. She hardly remembered the film. It was something that Emily had forced her to watch when she was still going through her Hugh Grant phase. The name of the movie didn't really matter. The movie itself was hardly important. What mattered were the arms that were closed around her and the warmth that was filling her with such lightness that she thought she might float away, if not for him holding her there.

She must have been really tired, Sharon realized. Her thoughts were beginning to wax poetic. That was never a good sign. She pulled away from him after just another moment and gave him a tired, but happy smile. "Hi."

"Hey." He took a moment to really look at her. He was so happy to see her once she stepped through the terminal checkpoint that he hadn't really _looked_ at her. He knew that she had been working almost around the clock for the last several days. Now that he could lay eyes on her, Andy realized just how much of a toll that had taken. Sharon was pale, which was not altogether unusual given her fair Irish complexion, but she tended to bronze up just a bit in the southern California sun. It was never enough sun to be unhealthy, but it always gave her a lovely glow. That was missing, he realized. There were also dark smudges beneath her eyes, which spoke of too many sleepless nights. It was nothing that he hadn't seen before. Andy didn't have to tell her that he understood what it meant to work long hours and exist on just coffee and a quick bite of food here or there. Instead, he tipped her chin up and dropped a light kiss onto her lips. "Let's get out of here."

Sharon smiled gratefully and leaned into his side when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She didn't have to reach for her bag; he already had it. He had also taken her purse and tote. Sharon wound an arm around his middle and let him maneuver her through the throngs of people that were milling about in the airport and on the sidewalk immediately outside of it. They made their way to the parking garage and when they had reached his car, Sharon sank tiredly into the front passenger seat while Andy stored her bag in his trunk. She leaned her head back against the headrest and once he joined her, Sharon let it roll toward him. "Are our plans still the same?" There had been no changes when they spoke that morning, but anything could happen. Life itself could change on a dime.

"Yeah." Andy glanced over at her. He reached over and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "We are picking the boys up and then we're heading back to Morgan Bay. We'll trade my car for the SUV I rented. It's already packed. We just need to move your bag and the boys' stuff over and head north." The plan was to take the boys camping; there was a small state park north of Morgan Bay. The boys had never actually been camping before. Dean wasn't much of an outdoorsman. His idea of camping was renting a well-appointed cabin on a lake. There was nothing necessarily wrong with that, but it was not the experience that Nicole and Charlie had growing up. Andy had taken both of his kids camping when they were younger, before he had blown his life all to hell. As it turned out, Sharon had done the same. It was an activity they both enjoyed, and she hadn't been since Emily had entered high school and her kids became too busy for such outings. She had readily agreed when it was first suggested, but now Andy really wondered if she felt up to it. She wouldn't let him cancel their plans. He knew her well enough to know that tired or not, the boys were looking forward to the weekend so camping they would go.

Sharon hummed quietly. She let her head roll back on the headrest. "Did you find—"

"Your hiking boots? Yes." Andy wanted to smirk. He grinned instead. "Right where you left them, by the back door." He put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking space. He chuckled as he maneuvered through the garage. "I got your jacket and that big, blue sweatshirt you left last time." They had a cold spell and Sharon had ended up layering up. The days were plenty warm now, but the nights would still be cool. He had known that she would want it to sleep in. His eyes sparkled with merriment as he drove. "I also remembered to pack the tent, the sleeping bags, the camp stove, the air mattress, because let's face it, neither one of us is thirty anymore. What else, oh yeah…" He grinned crookedly as he went through the list; he knew that Sharon wouldn't be satisfied until he had. "The cooler, the groceries, and we'll stop for perishables and ice on the way. I grabbed the first aid kit, the insect repellent, the sunscreen, and of course your favorite blanket because Captain _Darth_ Raydor cannot be without her favorite blankie. Should I go on?"

"Oh no." Her eyes were closed but there was a smile curving her lips upward. "I think you can stop there." Sharon reached over and poked his thigh, hard. Just because she preferred the thick, plush, brown fleece blanket on cold nights did not make it her _blankie_. He would do well to remember that, especially when they were going to be sleeping in a tent with two youngsters and there was only so much keeping her warm he could do from inside of his own sleeping bag. Of course, she might have been willing to forgo the entire _inside the sleeping bag_ part of the experience had it not been for that little comment. That wasn't going to happen now. If he had packed her blanket, then she would be perfectly okay without him. They would just have to see how he faired without her. "All that you really needed to say, Andy, is that we were all packed for the weekend."

Andy didn't suppress his urge to smirk this time. He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel as he merged into traffic. He shrugged at her. "Yes dear." That earned him a bland look to which he just grinned in response. "Listen," he told her, "it's going to be a while before we get to Nicole and Dean's. Why don't you take a nap?"

Sharon arched a brow at him. If he was going to act the part of the nagging husband she could certainly pull off the nagging wife. "With your driving?" She knew just how much inflection to give it. After all, according to Jackson, she had perfected it over the years. Andy just laughed. He usually did when their banter devolved to that point. Sharon tilted her head at him. "Did you think I was joking?"

He flashed a wide, crooked grin at her. "No more than I was about the Captain's blankie."

"Oh hush," Sharon groaned. "It's warm." She tilted her seat back a little more with a sigh. "Fine. I'll nap. Try not to kill us."

He glanced over. Her eyes were already closed and her face was relaxed. Andy focused his gaze on the road in front of them and smirked again. "Yes dear."

Sharon was asleep before they had even made it out of the airport zone. Andy would never admit to it, and since there were no witnesses he wouldn't have to, but he took the long way to the little town that Nicole and Dean lived in. Instead of going through Richmond he chose to go through Oakland, and then across to Walnut Creek before finally heading north to Benicia. It took them more than an hour out of their way. He sent Nicole a message at the first opportunity he had, while they were stopped at a traffic light waiting to get on the bridge that would take them across to Oakland. He told her that he had Sharon, but traffic was terrible and it would be a while.

In all honesty, traffic wasn't that bad at all. He managed to stay within the flow, but still beneath the speed limit as he made the drive. He figured that would give Sharon plenty of time to at least feel better, if not actually catch up on the much-needed sleep that she had missed. When they were only five minutes from Nicole's house, he gently nudged Sharon awake. He watched her lids flutter and finally blink open. She looked around herself, at first disoriented before her mind caught up with her surroundings.

From the corner of his eye Andy watched Sharon shake off her fatigue; he watched her hide it behind a carefully constructed wall that the children would not be able to see through. While he drove through the outskirts of his daughter's neighborhood, Sharon straightened in her seat and used that time to smooth out her hair and freshen her makeup. By the time that he was pulling the car into the driveway in front of Nicole's house, she was all smiles and joyful energy.

Sharon did not wait for him to come around and open her door for her. She appreciated that he was always willing to be the gentleman, but it wasn't always required. It was one of the many things that she loved about him. She joined him at the beginning of the walkway and slipped her hand into his as they strolled toward the door. It became instantly apparent that the boys had been watching for them. Sharon smiled brightly at the sound of childish giggling on the other side of the door. They weren't given the opportunity to knock. The door swung inward as they reached it and two bright-eyed little boys stood waiting for them.

"Oh dear." She clucked her tongue. "I think we have the wrong house. These couldn't possibly be the Abbott boys. They're much too big." She tilted her head and arched a brow at Andy. "Where is it that you brought me to? I thought you said that you knew where we were going?"

Andy sighed. His head bowed and his shoulders slumped. "You're right. Once again." He threw up his hands in defeat as he played along. His grandsons were giggling madly at the show they were putting on. "I should have stopped and asked for directions." He shook his head at her. "Maybe we should get back in the car and try it again."

"No!" The boys both reached for them as they started to turn. Michael grabbed onto Andy's arm while Tommy threw his arms around Sharon's waist. He was still giggling as he looked up at her. "Of course we're us!"

"We wouldn't open the door for strangers," Michael stated. He rolled his eyes at his grandfather.

"Are you sure about that?" Sharon smirked at the child. "Your Grandpa-Andy is pretty strange."

While the boys fell into another fit of giggles, Andy slanted a look at her. "You're one to talk. You flew all this way to be with me. Doesn't that make you more strange?"

"Oh no." Sharon fluttered her lashes at him. "The word that you are looking for is charitable, honey." She looked down at Tommy and framed his face in her hands. "Remind me to teach you how to never let him think that he is getting one over on you." She bent and kissed the top of the giggling child's head. As they stepped into the house, they traded, and Sharon drew Michael into her side. "Are you boys ready for our weekend?"

"Can we leave right now?" Michael asked. He looked up at her with big, blue, hopeful eyes. "Our bags are all packed and by the stairs."

"Very soon," Sharon promised him. As much as they loved their new baby brother, it had just been the two boys for a very long time. They were not accustomed to sharing their parents with anyone but themselves. The opportunity to be away for an entire weekend that was meant to be only about them was as much necessary as it was exciting. She could remember well how Emily had basked in the attention that her father had given her when Ricky was just a newborn. That was long before Jack had left them, back when their little family had still been happy and mostly stable. It was one of the good times, and the reason why it was always Emily that was ready to give Jack a chance when he came back into their lives. Sharon pushed those thoughts aside and smiled down at Michael again. "I just want to go and see Nicole before we leave. Is that okay? I missed her too." She was careful to make it about their stepmother and not the new baby.

"Okay." Michael leaned in to her side, though. He didn't let go as they walked through the house to the den. It was a transition phase. Both boys were at a point where they were clinging more to the adults in their lives. It would pass, but for now all that any of them could do was be understanding and make sure that they got the love and attention that they needed.

Nicole was waiting for them in the den. She was folding a basket of laundry while little Flynn lay in his infant swing. She had known when the boys had run to the door that her father had arrived. She dropped the blanket that she was folding back onto the basket as they entered. "Hey you two." She rounded the coffee table to greet them both. "I see you finally made it. Dad said traffic was horrible."

Sharon cut a look at Andy as he greeted his daughter. "Did he?" She had slept the entire way, so whether it was or not, she couldn't say.

"It was the usual afternoon craze." When Andy let go of his daughter he walked over to lift the baby out of his swing. "There's my guy."

"Oh dad." Nicole made a face. She had only just gotten the baby settled. He wasn't asleep yet, but he was near enough to it. "You're going to get him all wound up again."

"Of course I am." Andy smirked at her. "Grandparents prerogative. This is what we live for."

Nicole groaned. She turned back to Sharon. "Sometimes it's like having four kids. Five when Dean is here. I'm starting to feel a little out numbered." There were moments when she felt like she was the last bastion of sanity for miles around. She heard the baby gurgle happily, and although it brought a smile to her face, Nicole knew it would take her some time after they left to get him settled down again.

Sharon laughed quietly. "Don't worry. We'll talk soon. There are ways of dealing with your father." She stroked a hand over Michael's head before she stepped away from the boy. "Andrew." Her voice held a lightly commanding tone. Sharon held out her arms. She arched a brow at him. "Time's up."

Andy's nose wrinkled. He made a face at her. "Fine." He turned Flynn in his arms and settled the baby against her chest. As he moved around her, Andy flashed a wide grin. "He needs to be changed anyway." He skipped away from her and waved his arms toward the door. "Come on boys, let's get your stuff. You can help me load the car."

She turned slowly where she stood. Sharon's eyes narrowed at his retreating back. Her lips pursed. It just so happened that he was correct. She would get even with him. She tilted her head at Nicole. "If we just happen to leave him at a rest stop somewhere along the way…"

"You will still be family to me," Nicole laughed. She held out her arms for the baby but wasn't surprised when Sharon kept him. Instead she followed the older woman as she headed upstairs with him. "I think that Dad has forgotten that he doesn't necessarily have to be allowed to sleep in the tent. A night under the stars might do him some good."

"That is a brilliant idea." Sharon tossed a triumphant grin at her. "I will let you know how he likes it."

Downstairs Andy could hear the women laughing. He almost winced. He shook his head as he gathered up the boys' bags and took them outside. The boys were behind him with their sleeping bags. By the time that they had finished loading everything, Sharon and Nicole had come back downstairs. Both boys were chomping at the bit to be able to leave, so Andy herded them back inside to say goodbye to their stepmother.

Nicole took her time hugging each one. "Dad, Michael's allergies are bothering him again. There is a bag with his medicine in the outside pocket of his duffel. He needs to take it morning and night." Although it was her father she spoke to, she glanced at Sharon to make sure she was hearing the instruction too. It was not that she didn't trust her father, she had sent the boys along with him with medicine before, but from one mother to another the information would be retained better.

"He'll get it." Sharon waited for Tommy to step back and then she ushered the boys toward the door. "Okay, let's go. Everyone in the car." She grabbed Andy's arm and turned him. "This means you too." She gave him a shove toward the door. "Nicole, I will have the boys back by Sunday evening." She pointed a finger at Andy as she followed him. "The jury is still out on you."

He turned and walked backwards. "Don't I get a deal?" He held his hands out. "Come on, if you're willing to deal with dirt bags on a daily basis, the least you can do is give me the opportunity to climb my way out."

"Of the hole that you are digging deeper every second?" She gave him a smile that was entirely too saccharine. "Of course darling, and the minute that you stop digging and start climbing I will consider it. Until then…" She twirled the finger that was pointed at him in a circular motion, indicating that he should hurry along to the car before she changed her mind.

Andy heaved an exaggerated sigh as he turned. "Alright boys, you heard the woman. She's a tough nut to crack your granny…" He laid a hand on each boys' shoulder and hastened them through the door.

Sharon stopped and lifted her eyes skyward. She drew a breath and let it out slowly. "They really must start letting me travel with that bean bag gun," she muttered. Sharon took another breath and sent one last wave at a laughing Nicole before she followed her love and his grandsons.

 **MCMCMCMCMCMC**

The state park that Andy had chosen was only thirty miles north of Morgan Bay. The brief stopover at his house had only taken fifteen minutes, just long enough to trade vehicles and make sure that they had everything that they needed before getting back on the road again. It took only an additional forty-five minutes for them to reach the park and the camping spot that Andy had leased for the weekend.

The setup was a study in patience and laughter. They had two young boys who were filled with energy and wanting very badly to assist in unloading the SUV and setting up the campsite. Sharon took care of organizing the campsite while Andy put up the large, two-room tent with the boys. It took far longer than it should have, and by the time that they had managed it, she had opened one of the camp chairs and sat laughing while she watched. It really could have been a disaster, but it was a marvel to her just how well Andy held back his frustration and instead guided the boys into putting each part of the tent together until it finally took shape and stood securely.

Afterward Sharon took charge of the boys while Andy finished unloading the SUV. She had them take everything that was going _inside_ the tent in and arrange it as it needed to be. Within just a couple of hours of arriving they had everything set up as it should be, the air mattress inflated, and a fire crackling away in the stone fire pit that made up the center of the campsite.

Sharon had smiled to herself as Andy had then taken the boys aside and given them a long, careful lecture on staying nearby. They could explore, but were to remain within sight of the camp at all times. He wanted to be able to look up and see them without any difficulty, and if he called for them, they were to answer. The boys had listened intently, nodding seriously as he spoke, and finally voicing their understanding. When he was finished, Andy sent them off to have fun.

Andy shook his head and laughed as he walked over to join Sharon. He rolled his shoulder as he took a seat beside her. "I forget how much energy they have until I'm with them again." He reached up and rubbed the top of his shoulder before looking over at her and grinning. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail. She had taken the opportunity at his house to change. She was in a comfortable sweater and a pair of jeans. It was a very casual look for her, and one that he really liked. "So how is it looking? Am I out of that hole yet?"

Her lips pursed. Sharon tilted her head at him. "Hm. I am not sure. I think it depends on what you want." She watched him roll his shoulder again and laughed. "I think we can agree that you have earned time out for good behavior." She pushed out of her chair and walked around to stand behind him. Sharon laid her hands on his shoulders and began to knead gently. "You are really good with them," she told him. "Those boys adore you."

"It's not that hard." Andy rolled his neck to the side. Somehow he had managed to strain his shoulder, probably unloading the truck. "They're good boys, and you know…" He reached up and touched her hand briefly. "We do what we can for family."

"Yes we do." She leaned forward and kissed the back of his head. He had made such lengths during the last year to close the final gap between him and his children. Now it was hard to imagine that there had ever been any distance between them. She loved watching him with them, but she really enjoyed watching him with his grandchildren. It filled her heart with such warmth and love.

Andy settled into the massage but it was doing little for the ache in his shoulder and neck. After another minute he reached up and gave Sharon's hands a squeeze. Then he stood up and looked around the area surrounding the campsite. "Michael, Tommy…" He waited a second and when they both popped out from behind a tree he nodded. "Okay, just checking. Dinner in fifteen."

Sharon watched as he walked over and opened the cooler. She frowned when he straightened after a moment and rubbed his shoulder again. "Andy." She shook her head at him. "Sit down, I'll do it. Put some ice on that."

"No, it's fine." He waved her off. He would just have to deal with it. It was hell getting old, he thought. Whatever he had done it would work itself out. He opened the cooler and took out the makings for sandwiches. They had agreed to keep it simple tonight. It only took a few minutes to get them ready, but longer to get the boys settled. They were brimming with excitement and energy.

It took both of them to corral the boys. They managed to get them fed and then with the sun sinking toward the horizon, they kept the boys close to the campsite. Andy told them stories about their mother and uncle that had them giggling madly. All the while, Sharon kept an eye on him. He had brushed off her concerns, but he appeared to still be in some considerable pain. It appeared to be getting worse as the night wore on. Her brows drew together as she sent the boys in to the tent to get their sleeping bags ready for the evening. "Would you like to put some ice on it now?"

Andy shook his head as he leaned forward in his seat. She was going to be stubborn, but he knew that of the two of them, he could probably out-stubborn her if he put his mind to it. "Nah. It's going to be all right. There's some aspirin in the truck. I'm old, but I'm not broke down. Not yet anyway." He had put his body through hell over the years, and that just meant he was paying for it now. "Love me, love my arthritis."

"Oh good grief…" Sharon rolled her eyes. She snorted a laugh and folded her arms across her chest. "You are, quite possibly, the most stubborn man that I have ever—" She stopped when he grabbed his chest and stumbled. A feeling of dread went through her. Her smile froze and then melted away. Her heart skipped a beat and then dropped right into her stomach. "Andy!" She moved quickly to his side and maneuvered him back into one of the camp chairs before kneeling in front of him. Her hand cupped his chin. His face had gone ashen. There was a thin, cold sheen of sweat breaking out on his skin. "What is it?"

He shook his head. He was rubbing his chest. The pain that had seemed centered in his shoulder was now radiating down. He drew a breath but found that it didn't come easily. Suddenly his chest felt like there were ten tons of bricks pressing down on it. He leaned forward as he wheezed. "Aw shit…" His eyes closed as the pain worsened. "Son of a bitch." His breath was coming in quick puffs. "I think I'm having a heart attack."

Hearing him voice her own fears had a chill running down her spine. They were at least twenty miles away from anything that resembled civilization. Sharon laid a hand against the side of his neck, the other she rested against his shoulder. She drew a breath while her mind quickly worked over the possibilities. Inside the tent she could hear the boys laughing. Dear god, they had two children with them, and the last thing that she wanted was for the boys' first camping trip to end traumatically. Her eyes closed while she thought through what she could do.

Somehow she was going to have to figure out how to get Andy and his grandsons back into the truck, without frightening the boys, and drive back toward town. Her jaw clenched as she nodded. Andy, boys, drive. Those were her three objectives at the moment. She would focus on that. It was all that she could do. The rapid beating of her heart and the fear that was threatening to grip her would not allow her to think beyond that.

In the back of her mind there was a second voice, however, one that whispered that Andy had planned to bring the boys alone if she hadn't been able to join him. My god, she thought, what if she had not been there? He could have been alone when this happened. That idea frightened her even more. She honestly didn't want to think about it, but the thought was already there. She was here, though, and she had not only Andy to think about but also his grandsons.

She wrapped her mind around that as she helped him to the SUV. She remembered the bottle of aspirin that he had mentioned earlier and shook two of them into his hand before she left him to retrieve the boys. What she would tell them she did not know, but she did not want to panic them. Whatever came of this night, she wanted them to hang on to the good memories.

They had a grandfather that loved them. That was all that mattered.

 **-TBC-**


	10. Chapter 10

**Come the Rain**

 **by Kadi**

 **Rated: M**

 **Disclaimer:** It isn't my sandbox. It is my favorite place to play, however.

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

It was her training that Sharon thanked for being able to remain calm, at least outwardly, while she gathered Michael and Tommy into the truck. She knew that they would take cues from her reaction so she spoke calmly to them as she explained that Grandpa-Andy had injured his shoulder and they needed to let a doctor look at it. That was so very far from the truth, but she wasn't about to tell two young boys that their grandfather was having a heart attack. For one thing, they were not completely sure that was what was happening, neither she nor Andy were medical professionals, and for another… well, she wasn't going to frighten them.

Sharon had to wait until they left the state park before she had a decent enough cell phone reception to call for an ambulance. She continued to speak calmly, even as she told the dispatcher where they were and what they suspected was happening. Luckily enough, the boys were at an age that they would not immediately understand what she was saying, and again, as long as she remained calm, so too would they. Children were perceptive. They were intuitive. They could not be discounted as intelligent just because they were young, but it was not always the words that were used, but _how_ they were used that set the tone for a child's reaction.

As she drove she kept a hand curled around Andy's wrist. She tried to make it look casual but she was silently counting each beat of his pulse. They were rural enough near the state park that it took almost ten minutes before they met the ambulance. Sharon had given the dispatcher a description of the vehicle, and pulled the SUV to the side of the road as the flashing lights of the ambulance neared.

What passed next remained a blur of activity. Sharon occupied the boys, distracting them while the paramedics worked with Andy. She debated calling Nicole as he was loaded into the back of the ambulance, but decided that she wanted more information before she did that. Sharon followed the flashing lights of the emergency vehicle to the small, county medical center. Upon arriving she was relegated to waiting with Tommy and Michael while Andy was taken back to a treatment room. That was the hardest part. She sat entertaining the boys, answering questions and allowing them to play on her cell phone while she waited for news.

As time wore on her façade of calmness began to slowly crumble. Her mind was all over the place. There was a lead knot of dread clenching her stomach tightly and trying to spread to her heart. She stood up and paced the empty waiting room. The medical center was small. It was really little more than an emergency care clinic. There was a part of her that wondered if she should have kept driving, or used her badge to get a helicopter to pick Andy up. That was not something that she would have ever done, however, but she did entertain the thought while she waited.

Minutes ticked by until almost an hour had passed. Sharon was getting ready to demand answers when a nurse in dark blue scrubs appeared. "Flynn family?"

By that point she was sitting again. "Stay here boys." Sharon left them with her cell phone and some ridiculous game of matching candy as she approached the nurse. "Yes," she told her. "How is he?"

There was really no question, as there was no one else in the waiting room. The nurse arched a brow at the woman. "And you are," she asked at length, "the wife?"

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell the truth, but Sharon just blinked at the nurse in front of her. The truth would get her nowhere. She would have to arrange for Nicole to join her, or hope that Andy was conscious enough to make his own decisions. In this instance no one would be any the wiser for her little lie. It wasn't as if she didn't know Andy well enough to know what he would want; they had even had this conversation once, although not in too great of detail. Sharon could hear his voice in her head. She knew his wishes. "Yes," she said easily and folded her arms across her chest. "I am his wife. What happened?"

The nurse nodded. "There was enough irregular heart activity on the EKG that the paramedics put a nitroglycerine patch on your husband in the ambulance. That helped slow what was happening. The doctor ordered blood work when he arrived. The enzyme tests came back positive. We have your husband on a nitro IV now, as well as other medications to keep his blood pressure down. Unfortunately, this facility is not equipped to do much more than that." She indicated the clipboard in her hands. "We are going to have to move him to the nearest acute care facility. That is going to be Santa Rosa. We spoke to your husband about the possibility when he arrived, but he is unconscious now. If you can sign the forms, we can get this process rolling."

Once again she almost hesitated. She wasn't really his wife, but the alternative would be waiting two hours for Nicole to join them, or even longer if she called Charlie. Sharon nodded as she held out a hand for the clipboard. What had she heard on television hundreds of times? Time was heart muscle? "Yes, of course." As she scrawled her name, initialing and checking where indicated, she looked at the nurse over the rims of her glasses. "How _is_ he?"

"He is as stable as we can make him," the nurse answered honestly. "You can come back and sit with him if you would like."

Sharon glanced toward the children. She wavered. That was exactly what she would like to do, but she could not leave his grandsons unattended. "I would rather the grandchildren not see him like this."

"Misty." The nurse called into the reception area. "Can you keep an eye on Mrs. Flynn's grandchildren?" She smiled at the older woman. "Don't worry. They will be right here when you return."

Sharon chewed on the corner of her lip. Finally she nodded. She would see him, just for a minute, but she would not leave the boys alone longer than that. "Thank you." She passed the clipboard back and walked over to kneel in front of the boys. "Okay guys. I need to go and check on Grandpa-Andy. I'll be back in just a second, but Miss Misty is going to keep an eye on you while I am gone. Can you continue to be good for me for a little while longer?"

"Sure." Tommy eyed her closely. "Is he okay?"

She knew that by now they were worried and full of questions. Sharon offered him her best smile. "I really do not know. That is why I need to go and see him. I will tell you everything that I can when I come back. Okay?"

"Okay," Michael answered."

"Good." Sharon touched each of their heads as she rose. She left them sitting in the lobby with the receptionist and followed the nurse. Sharon could not count the number of times that she had been in an Emergency room over the course of her lifetime. The area that she stepped into beyond the single door beside the reception area looked nothing like what she had seen before. There were two rooms and three curtained off cubicles. There was a nurse's station with only one other nurse on duty. To her way of thinking they could not get Andy out of there soon enough, although the medical center had served it's purpose in providing immediate care, this was just no place for him.

The nurse left her at the door to one of the treatment rooms. Sharon took a breath before she pushed it open and stepped inside. The number of times she had seen him injured in the past had not prepared her for _this_. He was pale. There was an oxygen tube stretched beneath his nose, and several wires from the monitors were affixed beneath his hospital gown. Sharon exhaled quietly as she walked around the room to stand on the side of his bed with the fewest wires. She stroked the length of his arm before lifting his hand into both of hers. Her brows drew together when she realized he was not wearing his bracelet or his ring.

She did a quick survey of the room and found them in a small bag with his wallet lying atop a larger bag that held his clothes. Sharon made a mental note to take all of that with her before she let her gaze fall to his face. His eyes were closed. She drew the backs of her knuckles along the curve of his jaw. When his eyes fluttered, a small smile tugged at her lips. Sharon bent over the bed. "Hey you," she said softly. His eyes opened and she smiled warmly at him. "There you are."

"Hey." His eyes closed again and he grimaced. The medicine had given him a headache. "Boys?"

"Waiting room. I need to get back to them, but I wanted to check on you. They are going to move you to a bigger hospital," she told him. "I will call Charlie and Nicole and have them meet us there. Andy…" Her voice shook. She stopped speaking and shook her head. Sharon had to look away for a moment. Remaining calm was the hardest part. She looked down at him again. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. Had she almost lost him? Could she lose him still? There were so many unanswered questions. What had she done these last several months except waste what precious time they had together? It was time that she would never get back; moments that they would never have again. She leaned closer and laid her hand against his forehead. Her lips were gentle against his. "Do me a favor, don't go anywhere, okay?"

"I'll try." He turned his hand in hers and held it tightly. "It'll be okay, Sharon." Andy wasn't sure that he really believed that, and he was scared as hell at the moment. What he did know was that he hadn't stopped seeing their future together and he wasn't ready to be without her. There were a lot of things that he still wanted to do. Charlie was supposed to help him fix the south side of his deck. He was going to get Provenza out on his boat. He wanted to watch his grandsons grow up. Andy wanted to pull out the ring that was hidden in the far back of his sock drawer and give it to the woman that he intended to spend the rest of his life with. He had a lot of plans. It looked like time was going to be his enemy. "I'm not done yet," He told her. "I'm old, I'm not broke down."

"You had better not be." She kissed the corner of his mouth. "I love you." Whatever happened next, she wanted him to know that. Sharon cupped his cheek and smiled at him. "I am ready, Andy." She met his gaze. Hers was unwavering. She saw his lips move and shook her head at him. "No. I have been ready. I just thought I had time to do things in my own order." That was very far from true, it seemed. "I will find a way to work it out. You concentrate on getting better."

He shook his head at her. Andy frowned against the pounding pain in his head. "Don't so something that you'll regret later, Sharon. There is going to be time to talk about all of this."

"Yes there is," she told him. "Because you had _better wake up_." Sharon smiled down at him. "I am never going to regret loving you, Andy Flynn. Not ever. You rearranged your entire life for your family, honey. I have been trying to arrange my family to my life. I think maybe that it is time I took a page out of your book. It is time for me to stop being selfish."

Andy gripped her hand and brought it to his lips. "I love you," he said. "Whatever happens, that won't change. I'd wait. However long it takes, I'd wait."

"I know." Was it fair of her to keep asking him to? "But I am not going to." She leaned down and kissed him again. "I have to get back to the boys. I will bring them in to see you before they move you to Santa Rosa."

"That would be good." As much as they wanted to keep his grandsons removed from all of this, they didn't know what was going to happen. He wanted to make sure that they were okay before anything else happened. "Go on, before Michael and Tommy take over the joint."

"If they have not already." Sharon pushed away from the bed. "Oh, and Andy…" She smiled at him as she gathered is personal belongings. "The nurse thinks that I am your wife. Do behave. Get some rest."

She left him smiling. That was the memory that Sharon filed away. It was the one that she would hang on to. Andy Flynn and that damned cocky grin of his; it was the same one that used to drive her crazy. Then, without any warning at all, she started to find it amusing. Somehow it became endearing to her, just as he had. Before she could realize what was happening to her, she had fallen in love with it. She had fallen in love with him.

Sharon was never opposed to the idea of having romantic relationships once her marriage was over. She just thought that the idea of falling in love again was long past. She had fallen in love once. It had not worked out as she had planned. Sharon had not intended to guard her heart against those feelings; it was never her plan to live in the shadow of her failed marriage. She just never expected to fall in love again. She thought her chance for that had passed her by; or rather, that it had blown up in her face. She wasn't counting on Andy. He completely surprised her. Looking back now, she supposed that there was always something between them, a mutual attraction that had found its outlet in frustration and sarcasm. The friendship was equally surprising. She never imagined that they would have so much in common, or that she could become so close to someone who had lived much the same life that her ex-husband had. In Andy she found hope. Hope that some day Jack would become the father that her children deserved to have, even if they had learned not to need him. That hope had found root in her heart and ended up blossoming into so much more. It was hard now to imagine how she had lived her life without him. She could not fathom moving forward in it without him.

That was, ultimately, her biggest fear now. Somewhere along the way Sharon had taken for granted that Andy would always be there. Then he moved away from her. That was the first step to opening her eyes to the opportunities that were slipping out of her hands. As they struggled to find their way through a long distance relationship, Sharon had known that she would have to make a choice. She just took for granted that Andy would be waiting when her decision was finally made. That wasn't going to happen. No matter his intensions or how hard he may try to wait for her, there were forces beyond their control. When it was all said and done, she could love him all the more for waiting for her, but she could not allow him to do it. Sometimes she wondered how he put up with her at all. She wondered that he felt as if he was always waiting for her, in one way or another. Waiting for her to get divorced. Waiting for her to be ready to date again. Waiting for her to move their relationship along. Waiting for her to step into the life that they were building together, rather than standing on the edge of it.

Sharon was done with all of the waiting. There would be no more of that. For now she would pray. She would hope. With any luck, very soon, they would finally start living.

 **MCMCMCMCMCMC**

Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital was not large by Los Angeles standards, but it was a fairly decently sized facility. What counted most to Sharon, however, was that Andy was able to get the care that he needed. Nicole had arrived half an hour after Sharon had gotten to Santa Rosa with the kids. Andy had been taken by helicopter. Dean was with her, and after the boys were able to greet their stepmother, he had taken the kids home with him. Charlie was another two hours in arriving. He had hit some terrible traffic on the way out of Sacramento, but was able to make the drive without further incident.

By the time that both of Andy's kids were present, he was in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit and a doctor had put together a treatment plan for him. They would not know, immediately how much damage had been done to his heart, but those tests would be performed. In the meantime, the Cardiologist planned to do a heart catheterization to determine the source of the heart attack and the continued irregular activity that was being registered by his EKGs. There was really no more that the doctors could tell them, at least not until they had an idea of what they were looking at.

It was an emergent case, however, and so the heart-cath was scheduled immediately. Sharon waited with Nicole and Charlie while Andy was taken to radiology and the catheter lab. Waiting was never easy, and as she watched his children shifting and pacing, alternatively speaking on the phone to other family members or in Nicole's case checking on her children, she could see just how very much like their father that they were. They had inherited his patience, or rather lack thereof. Sharon was marveling on that when a familiar form stepped in front of her. She looked up, at first too surprised to speak. She shook her head as she stood.

"Rusty, what are you doing here?"

He shrugged at her. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his hoodie. Rusty pulled them out as he leaned in to hug her. "You needed me," was all that he said.

Sharon hugged him tightly. "You did not have to come all the way up here, Rusty." She was glad that he had. Her eyes stung with unshed tears; the same tears that were making her throat ache with emotion. She had called him earlier, when she made the round of calls to Nicole and Charlie. She had called Lieutenant Provenza too, and expected to see him in the morning. The next available flight to San Francisco or Oakland had been at five in the morning. That begged the question to her of how Rusty had gotten there so quickly. Sharon pulled back to look at him. "How?"

He shrugged again. Rusty gave her a lop-sided grin. "Ricky booked it. I flew to Sacramento and rented a car. It was faster than waiting on a flight to San Francisco or Oakland. He's coming too," Rusty explained. "He had a meeting, but then he's driving up. He should be here in a little while. You didn't think we were going to leave you here alone, right? With _just_ Lieutenant Provenza?" Rusty made a face at her.

She wanted to laugh. Sharon hugged him again. They were impossible, the both of them, but she could not adore her sons more. They were a balm to her heart. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I am so glad that you are here, but you really didn't have to do this."

"Yes I did." Rusty pulled back to look at her. "Sharon, I may not always be quick on the uptake, but I kind of figured out that all this family stuff isn't just about me. You're always telling me that you will always be there for me. Well, that kind of goes both ways. I spent years waiting for my mother to show up. I'm not going to spend the rest of them waiting for her to swoop in when I need her. Neither is Ricky. Emily would be here too, but she has a show."

Sharon cupped his chin. "You," it was all that she managed to say around the lump in her throat. Her voice pitched low and quivered slightly. "There are no words for how much I love you."

Rusty rolled his eyes at her, like he always did when she was overly emotional. "Yeah. I know. It's pretty much mutual." When she hugged him again he sighed. "Okay," he told her. There was only so much of this that he could take before he felt a little awkward. Rusty wriggled away from her. He looked around the waiting room. It was just Andy's two kids. "Does anyone need anything?"

"No," Sharon told him, when both Charlie and Nicole shook their heads. "We're okay. We are just waiting." She motioned Rusty into the chair beside hers and sat with him. She quickly brought him up to speed on what was happening with Andy. They weren't sure when they would get any news from the doctor, or what that news would be. For now it was a matter of trying to be patient and not allowing their fears to run away with them.

It was not much longer before the doctor appeared and they were called into a small meeting room to discuss Andy's condition. There were only two chairs, aside from the one that the doctor was seated in. Charlie and Rusty opted to stand behind Sharon and Nicole. On a white board there were pictures affixed, images taken during the catheterization. The doctor had highlighted a couple of areas.

"He's doing great," the cardiologist, who had been introduced to them before the procedure as Doctor Lee, immediately said. "His blood pressure did go up while we were in there, but we're giving him something to bring it back down. We're going to monitor that overnight and in the next few days. Otherwise, the procedure went well. I found two blockages," he pointed at the black and white photographs. "Here in the right coronary, and again in a small branch off of it. This is our culprit," he told them. "I was able to open both of them up, and I put medicated stents in that will prevent those areas from becoming blocked. I did notice," he continued, "that there is another blockage here." The doctor circled the area with his pen. "It's only a thirty percent blockage at this point, so it should not cause any problems. What I am going to recommend is that Mister Flynn follow up with his own cardiologist and they keep an eye on it. If he changes his diet, in the way that we are going to recommend, this one may not become a problem at all."

"That's it?" Charlie leaned against the back of his sister's chair. "Just two small blockages and my dad almost died of a heart attack? He's a vegetarian. How does that even happen?"

"Charlie." Sharon reached back and touched his hand. He was so much like his father. The frustration was apparent in his tone. She smiled gently at him. "Your father had fifty years of _not_ being a vegetarian to start him down this path. Even still, just because he doesn't eat meat does not mean that he always eats sensibly."

"Your mother is right," The doctor said. "Your father is sixty-one, so his life style change slowed this down, but it didn't stop it. He's going to have to make some other changes too so that it doesn't happen again."

"Oh." Sharon gave the doctor a surprised look. "I'm not his—" She looked behind her when both Rusty and Charlie snorted a laugh. "Boys?"

"Stepmom," Charlie hooked a thumb at Sharon. "Or near enough."

Nicole rolled her eyes heavenward. Her lips pursed. "Yes. Except when they are just being very good friends."

"Enough, all of you." Sharon would be surrounded by a gaggle of Flynn's and her own son who looked for any opportunity to poke fun at her. She let out a small sigh of relief. "What about his recovery," she began, wanting to get them back on topic, "what can we look forward to there?"

"We have some more tests to run," Doctor Lee explained. "We still need to know how badly the heart was damaged, and if there will be any lasting effects. We will start running those tomorrow. Tonight he will be monitored closely in the cardiac unit. We will talk again tomorrow after I have more information."

The doctor stood up and so did Sharon and Nicole. It was the latter that stepped forward. "Thank you. From all of us. When can we see him?"

"The Cardiac unit is on the fourth floor," Doctor Lee explained. "You can check in at the nurse's station there. They should already have a room assignment."

Sharon ushered the three of them out of the room after that. Once they were back in the waiting room there was a collective sigh of relief. Andy was doing well, and the doctor seemed very optimistic. He would have a recovery ahead of him, but that was something that she could handle. That he was recovering was the important part. Sharon took a moment to just feel that before she faced Charlie and Nicole. "Okay, I say that we all take a break. Let's make our calls and we can meet back up by the elevators in half an hour?" She knew that they would want to call their mother and Nicole would need to call Dean. She wanted to try and reach Lieutenant Provenza, or at the very least, send him a text with the update if he had already gone to bed ahead of his early morning flight.

"Mom." Ricky strolled up behind her. There was a bag thrown over his shoulder. He quickly scanned the group. The sense of urgency from earlier was gone. "Hey. How is he?"

"Just out of the heart-cath," Sharon explained. "He's doing well. Ricky, I love that you're here, but you didn't have to drive up here."

"Told you." Rusty rolled his eyes as she began to give her brother the same greeting that he had received.

"Sure I did." Ricky held up the bag. "I would have been here earlier, but I stopped by Andy's house and picked up some things. I wasn't sure how long he would be here." He knew very well that his mother would not leave until her boyfriend did.

Sharon blinked at him. She shook her head. "How did you get into Andy's house?" She accepted the bag but continued to stare at her eldest son.

"Spare key." Ricky shrugged. "How else was I going to get in? Somehow I think they frown on busting out windows of cop's houses up here too and not just in LA."

"Wait." Sharon tilted her head at her son. "You have a spare key to Andy's house?"

"Yeah," Ricky arched a brow at her. "Don't you?" He grinned crookedly. "He gave it to me a while ago. You know, in case I wanted to use the boat. Mom, where have you been?"

"In my own little world, apparently." Sharon didn't realize that Ricky and Andy had that kind of relationship. She expected her children to respect her choices and be civil, but anything beyond that was up to them. She certainly hadn't realized that they were close enough that Andy would just let Ricky take the boat out whenever he chose.

"It happens." Ricky shrugged at her. "So, he's doing okay then? Everything went well?"

"Stents, and he needs more tests," Rusty said. "But yeah, it looks like he's going to be okay."

"That's good." Ricky pointed at his mother. "Why is she still all dazed?"

"I think you broke her," Rusty said.

Sharon rolled her eyes at both of them. "I am not broken." She looked between her sons. "Okay, this is what we are going to do. I have calls to make. So do Nicole and Charlie. I want the two of you to go and get food for everyone. You both know what I like. Check with Charlie and Nicole and see what they would like. If you are not back by the time we go up to see Andy, I will text you to let you know where we are. Understood?"

"And she's back," Ricky smirked. "Got it. Food. We can handle that. Rusty?"

"I could eat." He grinned as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "Burgers for everyone."

"We shall see." Sharon shook her head at him, but then she palmed her phone and walked away from them. She kept walking until she found an exit. It was not until she had stepped outside and moved several yards from the hospital that she was able to breathe again. She inhaled deeply. She pressed a hand against her stomach, just beneath her breastbone and took several subsequent breaths.

There was a bench nearby. Sharon sat on it. She leaned forward and covered her face with her hand. The hand, she realized, was shaking. Her entire body was shaking. It was an adrenaline release, she knew. Sharon tried to breathe through it but felt the tears she had been holding back all night sting her eyes again. Sharon closed her eyes against the onslaught and let it come. He was going to be okay. By some miracle she had not lost him, this man who was so much a part of her heart. This man who had somehow become so deeply connected to every part of her life; here she was, with his children, and it seemed only natural that they would look to her. She was an idiot, she realized. She had been living in a daze. She was so busy trying to plan her life to work out oh so conveniently that she had failed to realize that her life was happening all around her.

All of the pieces of her life that she thought that she needed to bring together to make a future with Andy possible had already happened. Rusty chatted with Nicole as if they were old friends, and bantered with Charlie in such a way that reminded her of Flynn and Provenza. Then there was Ricky, who had obviously forged his own relationship with the man in her life. While she was juggling her life, everyone that was important to her was living that life.

It was time to join them.

Now more than ever her mind was made up. Sharon resolved that she would discuss it with Lieutenant Provenza when he arrived in the morning. Nothing official would happen until she was back in Los Angeles. There would be a transition period, she was sure. She and Andy would decide what to do with the condo together. She could sell it, or they could keep it so that they had a place to stay when they visited their friends and family. These details were not entirely important. They were things that could be easily ironed out; all in due time. Time that she had now.

Time that she was not going to allow to get away from her again.

 **-TBC-**

* * *

 **A/N:** This probably needs a better editing job than the one that I did. For that, you have my sincere apologies. Also, I am not a medical professional, but I have been through this process with someone a few times; this probably still has many technical mistakes. Again, my apologies. :) But to everyone who has made it this far: MUCH LOVE! Rockstars all of you!


	11. Chapter 11

**Come the Rain**

 **by Kadi**

 **Rated: M**

 **Disclaimer:** It isn't my sandbox. It is my favorite place to play, however.

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

"What took you so long?"

The question seemed to come out of the blue. The hour had grown very late. Andy had woken up a little, just enough that Sharon sent Charlie and Nicole in to say goodnight. She was sending them both to a hotel. She planned to stay at the hospital and promised to call them if anything changed. Since their father was stable and recovering, they had both agreed, albeit a little reluctantly. Ever the gentleman, and so much like his father, Charlie had tried to convince Sharon to let him stay and keep watch during the night. It wasn't that she wouldn't do it. She simply couldn't. She needed to stay. She _needed_ to be there with him through this. His children seemed to understand.

Sharon looked at her own son now. Rusty had gone to find her a cup of coffee, and then he and his brother would be going along to the hotel too. Sharon tilted her head at Ricky while she tried to decipher what he was talking about. "I am not sure that I know what you mean," she said finally.

"Mom." Ricky leaned forward in his chair. He might not always hit the mark, but he knew his mother. Something about her had changed. "We both know that when you go back to Los Angeles it isn't going to be to stay. You're going to be here until Andy is back on his feet, and then you're going away just long enough to wrap up what you have to before making the move." He smiled at her, and the sparkle in his eyes dared her to deny it. "So what took you so long? I kind of expected you to do this months ago."

"Really." Sharon shifted in her chair. She crossed her legs and folded her hands together before allowing them to rest against her lap. "Do you want me to explain it, or do you just want me to tell you that I know what I am doing now?"

"I think I need to hear it." Ricky shrugged at her. "Don't get me wrong. I am going to love having you up here. I really like Andy too, and if that is what you want," he said carefully, "then I'm happy for you. We all are." He made a face. "Okay, Rusty is still working on it, but we'll get there. "

Sharon chuckled quietly. "He has come a long way. Your brother has… well, let's just say some wounds go very deep and leave it at that." She would never betray his confidence and she didn't know just how much about his past that Rusty had shared with Ricky. The basic details were there, but she wasn't sure just how deeply the two boys had discussed it all. Rusty could still be very guarded in a lot of ways. Sharon drew a breath and let it out slowly. "Okay," she told him. "I didn't want to be _that_ woman; you know, the one that gives up her entire life over some guy. I have worked my entire life to _not_ be _that woman_." She shrugged at her son. "I am not talking about Andy either. Do you remember when I sold the house?"

"Yeah." Ricky frowned at her. "It was too big for one person. I mean, it was kind of sad, we hated to see it go, but I can understand it. Home isn't just a place, right?" He recited what she had said to him upon selling the house that he had grown up in some years before.

"That is correct." Sharon lifted her hands and gestured helplessly before allowing them to fall back into her lap. "Your father and I reconciled that year." She had never told either of her children about that. At first she had not wanted to get their hopes up, and then much later, she had been both too hurt and too embarrassed. She hadn't wanted them to know that their father had failed her again. Now that her marriage was over, it was just another footnote to a bad situation. "Jack came home," Sharon explained, "and we tried to put our relationship back together. You and Emily were both away at school, and the timing of it seemed right. For a while everything seemed to work out. We were managing." Sharon recalled that they had been happy. At least, she believed that they were. "Then your father was offered a job in Sacramento; an old college buddy of his had a firm there and knew that Jack was getting back on his feet. It was a good deal for him. Work was hard to come by in LA; it was too soon to piece back together all of the bridges that he had burned the last time that he left. Jack wanted to take the job, and he wanted me to go with him."

"You considered it?" Ricky stared at her. She had never once mentioned any of this to them, and neither had his dad. That puzzled him. It was just the sort of thing that his dad would try to use to play them against their mother. Jack was an expert at that game. He could get inside their heads and make them question things that they shouldn't. Ricky was learning how to spot that game; as well as how to avoid it. He wondered if Emily ever would?

"Ricky," Sharon smiled sadly at him. "We put the house up for sale and I gave notice. I started looking at opportunities for a transfer to Sacramento." She laughed, but the sound was almost hollow. "Your father even said that with the sale of the house we could afford for me to go back to school. Three tuitions would be manageable. I could finally go to law school, like we had always planned. It was a ridiculous notion, but a very kind one. Or so I thought at the time. He was meeting me half way," she said. "He had done everything that I asked of him up to that point. Regular meetings. He was home on time. He was working, but at a job he didn't like, and for your father, with surprisingly few complaints. I had to ask myself if I was willing to do the same; if he was right, if maybe Sacramento would be a new start for us." She shrugged her shoulders and hummed. "In the end, it didn't work out." Somethings were just too broken to fix.

"What happened?" If they were that serious about it, Ricky had to question where it all went wrong. His mother did not make those kinds of decisions easily. Every move was always carefully thought out and planned. "I mean, you were selling the house and you were quitting your job. Why didn't you move?" Ricky closed his eyes and drew a breath. "What did he do?"

"He didn't come home one night." Sharon looked away. "I knew exactly where to look. Your father is, if anything, a creature of habit. I found him three sheets to the wind and wrapped around a busty brunette." It was the sort of thing that she used to protect her children from, their father's very poor habits. They were adults now, and despite her best efforts, they had seen and heard too much over the years to be completely spared. Her lips pursed. Sharon looked down at her hands. "I sold the house, and gave your father his share. Then I sent him on his way. I retracted my notice, bought the condo, and that was that. He was still your father, so the two-night rule was initiated. I would allow him to visit, but he was no longer permitted to stay."

Ricky slumped back in his seat. He had hurt her. Jack had managed to take the chance that she had given him and not just blow it, but toss it right back into her face. "So when Andy moved," Ricky said, "you weren't going to give away your life again."

"I wanted to be sure," she said quietly. "At least, that is what I kept telling myself. The truth is that Andy made this decision. He chose to upend his life and rearrange it for the sake of his family. I had my own family, friends, and career. Why should I let go of any of that for a choice that _he_ was making?" Sharon smiled sadly again. "He has asked me to move up here so many times, I am not even sure that I can count them all. Every time that I had to tell him no, he just let me. He was willing to wait. It was not fair to him, but I think that I had to be apart from him to understand just how much I need to be with him." Sharon shrugged again. "I don't know. The last several months have not been very clear to me. I still enjoy my career, but it is not all that I have in my life. It is important to me, but there are other things that are more important. I know now," she said. "Can that just be enough?" She had told Rusty once that it was hard to hold on to someone when they were gone. She had needed the distance to be able to see the difference between her two situations. Jack had never really come back. Andy had never left.

"Of course." Ricky smiled at her. "Mom, if this is what you want," he repeated, "then I want it too. You deserve to be happy. If Andy makes you happy, that is all that really matters."

"He does." She reached out and touched her son's cheek. "When did you get so grown up, hm?" Not very long ago he might have argued with her on this course of action.

"Oh, you know…" Ricky grinned crookedly at her. "You grow up fast when your mom drops another kid on you. Someone had to be the adult." He shook his head. "No, you were right. I took a lot of things for granted that Rusty struggles to accept every day. It opened my eyes to some things. Plus, you know… I like Andy, and mom. The boat factor. He's totally a keeper."

Sharon laughed. There was her son. She had started to wonder where he was hidden. Sharon rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, of course. The boat is very important." Sharon fixed him with a look. "You had better come up with many more reasons to visit your mother now that she will be living much closer, besides borrowing the boat."

"Yeah, sure." Ricky looked up as Rusty rejoined them. "I'm sure that I will think of something. Like asking Andy if I can borrow the boat the next time I visit, and thanking Andy for letting me use the boat the last time I visited…"

"Oh you…" Sharon reached over and tapped his arm. "You are terrible."

He was laughing at her. "Mom, of course I will visit. You're going to just be, like, an hour drive away. Hello your meatloaf how much I have missed it."

"Dude, you actually eat her meatloaf?" Rusty gave him a long, curious look. "Why would you do that? Actually, why would anyone _ever_ eat meatloaf? That is disgusting."

"Have you ever tried it?" Ricky stood up. "No, you haven't, because you are odd and still in need of a lot of training. Mom's meatloaf is awesome. One day, very soon, she is going to make it, and you are going to love it."

"Yeah, okay." Rusty wrinkled his nose. That was never going to happen. He handed Sharon her coffee. "Do you need anything else before we take off? Are you sure that you'll be okay here by yourself?"

"I will be perfectly okay, boys." Sharon placed the coffee on the table beside her chair and stood up. She hugged each boy in turn. "I am so glad that you are both here, you cannot even imagine how wonderful that is. I love you both," she told them.

"We love you too, Mom." Ricky said it because he knew that Rusty got weird about emotions in public. "We'll see you in the morning. Try to get some rest, okay?"

"I will, I promise." She walked with both of them to the edge of the waiting room. Then she watched as they made their way down the corridor to the elevator bank. Not until they were out of sight did she turn away. Sharon walked over and reclaimed her seat. She would give Nicole and Charlie a few more minutes before she interrupted them. Andy needed to rest, and both of his children needed to get some sleep.

After all the kids had gone, Sharon finally let herself into Andy's room. The lights had been dimmed and his eyes were closed. The room was only illuminated by the light over the sink in the corner of the room, and the glow of the displays on the IV machine and heart monitor. Sharon moved quietly through the room. There was a wide, almost comfortable looking chair on the far side of the room, between Andy's bed and the window. She set her purse on the wide window ledge before lowering herself into the chair. She drew her legs into the chair with her and let out a small, quiet sigh.

"Hey." Andy was groggy, and he was in pain, but he had only been half-asleep. His eyes blinked open and he looked at her. "I was starting to think that you had flown the coop."

"Not yet." Sharon moved the chair a little closer to the bed before settling in it again. She was able now to reach out and touch his leg. "How are you feeling?"

Andy groaned in response. "Not great." He sighed. His leg was sore where they had gone into the vein, and this having to lay on his back business while that torture device was attached to his leg to put pressure on the spot where they had gone in was hell. His back had started to ache long ago. By his count there were only a couple of hours left before the nurse would take the damned thing off. "I guess like I had a heart attack."

"Hm." Sharon rubbed his leg, well below his knee. "I know," she said gently. "But you are going to be okay. That is the part that matters." It was what she was holding on to.

"Yeah." He squinted at her in the dim lighting. "You look tired. Sharon, you should go to the hotel and get some sleep. I'll be okay here. It's not like I'm going to be alone. There's a whole nightshift full of nurses to keep an eye on me."

"Yes." She smiled at him. "You do like the nurses, I know." Sharon shook her head. "I am not going anywhere, Andy. I am perfectly okay right here. Now try to get some rest, please?"

He shook his head at her and frowned stubbornly. "Dammit Sharon, I don't need a babysitter. Go sleep in a damned bed." It wasn't going to do anyone any good if she exhausted herself, and he knew that she had to be running on fumes. She was already tired as hell when she got to San Francisco. Aside from the nap in the car, he doubted she had anymore sleep.

Her brows rose but Sharon only smiled serenely at him. "You really are the grumpiest patient," she teased. "Andy, I think I know what I need. I am good here," she said again, and with a finality that would not allow any further discussion.

He heaved a frustrated sigh. "I guess this is not what you signed up for, huh?" It was hardly romantic that she kept ending up having to take care of him.

Her smile softened, warmed. "I signed up to be with you. That means taking the bad as well as the good. I do not like seeing you ill, or injured," she added, "but I am not going to walk away either just because the road has gotten a little bumpy. I love you, Andy. Even when you are a foul-tempered, horrible patient."

"I am not foul-tempered." He pouted at her. "I am suitably and appropriately aggravated." Andy grinned crookedly. "Well if you're going to stay…" He grimaced as he reached for the extra blanket that Nicole had draped over him, despite his protest. He tossed it at Sharon. "Go to sleep."

She caught it with a laugh. "You are bossy lately. We are going to have to work on that. I think you have gotten too complacent living up here all on your own."

"Nah." He smirked. "I just got used to outranking you." That would never get old.

Sharon groaned. "I cannot believe that we let that happen. The world is doomed."

 **MCMCMCMCMCMC**

Provenza was not a man that was a fan of traveling, but there were advantages, he realized, to flying in the early morning hours. The flight was not overly populated and once he had landed in San Francisco, at exactly 6:05 in the morning, he found that morning traffic was barely existent. Of course it was a Saturday and he would have expected it to be light anyway, but he was gratified to know that the rest of the world was sane enough to be at home in their beds. Even if he was not. Wasn't Flynn going to hear about that, oh yes.

He had his lecture all planned. What was the idiot thinking? A heart attack? Good grief! Provenza worked on his lecture in the car during the drive from San Francisco to Santa Rosa. By the time that he had arrived, he was satisfied with the full head of steam that he had worked up. He had a complete list of shortcomings and do-betters that he was going to drill into his former partner's stubborn head.

The drive north had not taken him long. It was still early morning as Provenza made his way through the hospital. When he reached Flynn's room on the fourth floor he eased the door open and peeked inside. He didn't want to wake the old idiot if he didn't have to. At least not yet. His lecture could wait a few minutes.

What he found, instead, seemed to take the thunder right out of his frustration. Provenza rolled his eyes as he sighed. He had to fight back the urge to groan out loud. The captain, his Captain, was asleep in a chair beside Flynn's bed. She was leaning back in it, knees bent and feet resting against the side of his bed. There was a blanket draped over her, but what made him shake his head was the fact that Flynn had a hand wrapped around her ankle, as if afraid that she might try to sneak away.

God save him from the love-sick fools.

Provenza moved quietly into the room. He rounded the bed and stood over the pair for a moment. Flynn had definitely looked better, but he supposed that was to be expected. The Captain looked utterly exhausted. He hated to wake her, but he knew that the staff would as soon as one of the nurses came in for morning vitals. With a sigh he reached down and gently touched her shoulder. "Sharon."

She came awake instantly. Her eyes went first to the bed, and then realizing that Andy was still sleeping, they rose to the man standing beside her. "Lieutenant." Her voice husked, thick with sleep. Sharon swept her hair back before she leaned forward to ease Andy's hand away from her ankle. Then she stood from the chair. Her body ached as she stretched. Sleeping in that position all night was not something that she would recommend for anyone, and certainly not anyone that was her age. Sharon winced as the muscles in her back and neck pulled stiffly. "Let's step into the hall," she said quietly, "I don't want to wake him."

As they left the room, he watched her pull the door closed behind them with a quiet click. "How is he?" His brows drew together in concern. "He looks like hell."

A small smile curved her lips. Behind the grumpy facade she could see the worry. "Well, Lieutenant, I do not believe that you would look glamorous either if you had just had a heart attack followed by a heart procedure." Sharon pulled her sweater more tightly around herself. It had been in the bag of items that Ricky had brought her, she was thankful for that now as the air in the hospital was so frigid. "Ultimately he is going to be okay, but he had a rough night," she said more gently. Sharon maneuvered him away from the door. She didn't want the sound of their voices to carry. As they walked down the corridor she folded her arms across her chest. "He had to lay on his back for several hours after the procedure. It was particularly painful for him. His physician was willing to order something to make him more comfortable, but as you know, Andy has to be careful with what he takes." He was an addict in recovery, but he was still an addict. While it was difficult to watch his pain, she admired his commitment all the more. Andy would rather tough out the pain than risk his sobriety.

Provenza felt his frown deepen. His concern grew. "Did you get any sleep at all?" She was just as stubborn as Flynn, which was probably, exactly, why she looked as tired as she was.

"A little." Sharon smiled at him. "I napped mostly. Hospitals are not exactly the most restful locations, ironically enough." Between Andy being restless and the nursing staff coming in and out during the night, neither of them had gotten an exceptional amount of rest. She really couldn't wait to get him home. They stopped walking when they reached the waiting room on that floor. Sharon turned to him and tried to brighten her smile. "How was your flight?"

"Early." Provenza scowled at her. He shook his head. "Are you okay?" It was more than just fatigue. She looked a little brittle around the edges. It was expected, but not something that he was accustomed to seeing. He found that significantly unsettling.

Her response was almost immediate, but Sharon swallowed it back. She knew that he would see through her placating. Instead she turned and walked over to have a seat in one of the less comfortable waiting room chairs. "What is okay?" She asked instead. Sharon shrugged. "It has been an eventful twenty-four hours. I need Andy well and at a home, Lieutenant. Then I will be okay."

Provenza scratched the side of his nose as he walked over and took a seat on the cushioned bench across from her. They came to it a lot more quickly than he had intended. His plan was to ease her in to this conversation at some point later in the day, or even the following day. The Captain had thrown the door wide open for him, however, with that statement. "You know," he began carefully, "that I have to ask. Where exactly-"

"What do you think?" Sharon cut him off before he could finish the question. Her head tilted. She gave him a tired, but crooked smile. "Come on, Lieutenant. We had a good run, don't you think? Not everything lasts forever, though. Look on the bright side. You may finally get my office all to yourself."

"That is not the way that I wanted it." He groused. The writing had been on the wall since Flynn had moved. It was only a matter of time before they either broke up or she retired. He had been leaning more toward hoping for the latter, but he figured that was probably all Patrice's influence. She was turning him into a romantic. At least, that was his story and he was going to stick to it. "What about Rusty?"

Sharon shook her head in amusement. "Rusty is going to be just fine. It is not as if he won't know where to find me. I think I may hold on to the condo. I still have a life in Los Angeles, and he will need a place to stay when he visits." Her eyes sparkled. "Just because he is going away to college does not mean that he will suddenly forget the co-parent," she teased.

"Good god, woman." Provenza shuddered at the very thought. "Would you stop saying those things? It's not that funny!" They had made a great joke out of it, her and the boy. He supposed it wasn't too far off the mark, but he preferred kindly uncle.

She snorted a quiet laugh, but her smile warmed. "Getting Rusty moved to the east coast should not be difficult. He will come home for the holidays, and again the following summer. I am sure that he will visit often, and he will probably split his time between Los Angeles and the Bay Area. At some point we have to understand that he has grown up. We have to let him fly. I know that it isn't easy; I have struggled with it too. We are not through teaching Rusty, but he has reached a point where he can set off on his own. I am confident that he will do well." Sharon tilted her head at him again when he looked away. "I will only be a phone call away. From all of you." She hesitated for just a moment before she added, in a softer tone. "You do not need me anymore." When she had taken over Major Crimes there was a definite separation between what _should_ be done and what _was_ being done. Like with children she had taught them all that she could, and she had learned quite a lot along the way too. It was time to let them fly. Just as it was time for her to do the same. What she had come to realize was that her life was changing, but she was not giving anything up. She was simply embracing something new. "We can work out all of these details when I get back to Los Angeles. Nothing is going to change overnight, Lieutenant."

He grumbled at her. "We can do that. Taylor will be a problem," he warned her. That snake would take this opportunity to reshape Major Crimes in his own vision. "Are you ready for a fight? Your transition out may not be as simple as you would like it to be."

Sharon's smile was slow, but confident. "I think that you should allow me to deal with Assistant Chief Taylor." Her eyes sparkled. "I have my ways of dealing with him. The thing that I am certain that you are aware of is that no one can have a career, as long as mine was, in an Internal Affairs position without learning quite a bit about the officers around them."

Provenza's eyes narrowed. "You know where all of the bodies are buried." He snorted. He figured that was her ace. She was just very careful about using it, liked to follow the rules and all of that.

"Of a sort, yes." Sharon smirked. "Just because I opt to leave the LAPD does not mean that I will suddenly forget all of that information, and if Assistant Chief Taylor would like to see his ambitions come to some fruition at some point in the future, he would do well to remember that. He would also do well to remember just how many very close friends I have in the law community." Her brow arched. "You all may not have liked me, but there were plenty of others who did."

Provenza groaned. Lawyers, judges, the mayor's office. She had come to them well connected. She played the political game well, even if she was neither vested nor involved in it. She knew who to make friends with and who to be wary of. It was something that they had all found very advantageous after she took over the division. He thought it was all one big headache waiting to happen. Maybe he would push Tao into her office. He played the political game well. Provenza was starting to wonder if he really wanted it. "We will talk," he decided. Now was not really the time. "We should get back and check on Flynn before he does something really idiotic."

"Yes," Sharon agreed, "we probably should. I am sure he would like to visit with you before the kids get here." She pushed out of her chair and waited for him to join her. "Try not to be too hard on him," she said, "but if you could remind him that there is a certain level of appropriate behavior, I would appreciate it..."

In other words, Provenza grinned, he could tell his partner how moronic he had been by scaring them all to death, just as long as he wasn't too mean about it. "Don't you worry," Provenza said, "I have a lecture all worked out. He will think twice the next time!"

"Perhaps," Sharon said, "We should rehearse your delivery, Lieutenant. I don't want him thinking about it at all."

"Oh, believe me…" Provenza's smile was gleeful, and just a little bit wicked. "He won't be. Not when I get done with him." They stopped outside of Andy's door and his expression turned serious. "I solemnly swear to make him think that I have borrowed your broom."

Sharon blinked as he stepped into the room and she was left in the corridor. She rolled her eyes skyward. "I knew it wasn't Buzz," she muttered. Those two men, how had she ever gotten tangled up with them? She wondered if there would ever come a time when she would actually understand it all. Until then… Sharon could hear the lecture beginning. She hurried into the room. She wasn't going to miss this for anything.

 **-TBC-**


	12. Chapter 12

**Come the Rain**

 **by Kadi**

 **Rated: M**

 **Disclaimer:** It isn't my sandbox. It is my favorite place to play, however.

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

"Where is Ricky?"

The children had all returned to the hospital not long after Lieutenant Provenza's arrival. Charlie and Nicole had entered the room while Provenza had been going through his list of rules for how Andy would be living the rest of his life. He had given it a rest at that point, but promised Andy that they would revisit the topic later, much to his partner's ever lasting chagrin. Sharon and the Lieutenant had stepped out a few minutes later to allow Andy's children to visit with him. They found Rusty in the waiting room down the hall, but he was alone.

"He swiped the keys to the SUV out of your purse last night when you weren't looking." Rusty held up the keys to Ricky's sedan. "He said that you could use his if you needed it before he got back."

"He went into her purse?" Provenza gave the boy a wide-eyed look. "Ballsy. Women's purses are scary places."

Sharon gave him a bland look before turning her attention back to her youngest son. "Rusty," She folded her arms across her chest, "what did Ricky need with the SUV?"

"He drove up to the park to break down your campsite." Rusty tilted his head at her. "How come you never took me camping? Ricky gets all the fun? How is that fair. What are you, playing favorites now?"

She didn't respond to that. Sharon rolled her eyes toward Provenza again. "He gets this from you," she said drily. She shook her head. "He went by himself?" Sharon ran a hand across her forehead. It wouldn't take Ricky long to break it all down and pack it away, but it was a bit much for one person. At the same time, Sharon was touched by the gesture. She had not even thought about all the things that they had left behind. It was, quite naturally, the very last thing on her mind the previous evening. Sharon took the car keys from Rusty and dropped them into her purse. She took a seat beside her son and slumped tiredly into it. "Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

"I grabbed a muffin at the hotel," Rusty told her. "I thought you might want to go and get something. Maybe get a shower, take a nap." He gave her a shrug. "Nicole and Charlie are going to be here for a while. They can call you if anything happens."

Sharon opened her mouth to protest but Provenza cut her off before she could. "Go," he said. "I will stay and keep an eye on him. He's complaining enough, so he's fine. It won't hurt for you to step out for a few hours. Get something to eat. Get some rest." He pointed a finger at her. "You want him worried about you, or do you want him getting better?"

The Captain's brows rose. Her lips twisted into a wry smile. "I haven't retired yet, Lieutenant. You are getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you?" She turned her attention back to Rusty beside her. "If you would not mind driving me back to the hotel, I will get something there. I think a shower would be wonderful."

"A nap wouldn't be too off the mark either." When she tried to glare at him, but managed only a mild stare, Provenza smirked at her. "You're definitely running on fumes. That look used to actually work. Go," he said. "I've got this. I have been dealing with Flynn and his stubborn streak a lot longer than you have."

"Hm." Sharon pushed out of her chair. "I was not going to resort to ageist remarks, but if you insist on dating yourself, I will simply have to respond by telling you that remark only points out that you have been around longer than I have."

"Points for effort," Provenza told her, "but the delivery sucked." He pointed to the door. "Go. Come back when you can banter again."

"He has a point," Rusty said. "That was weak. Almost lame." He stood up and took out the keys to his rental. "The hotel buffet was pretty bad. We can stop and get something on the way."

"I will agree," Sharon said, "but only because I am lacking both the energy and patience to continue this argument." She drew her purse over her shoulder. "Tell Andy that I will be back—"

"In a few hours." Provenza rocked back on his heels and smirked at her. "Not before noon," he stated. "You said they were going to do some more tests today, right? Well, you've got plenty of time to take a nap. Go on…" He waved her off. "I'm not getting any younger standing here."

"Truer words." Sharon motioned Rusty ahead of her and followed her son out of the waiting room.

Provenza waited for them to go before he went the opposite direction, back to his former partner's room. This time when he entered, he knocked lightly. "Mission accomplished," he announced. "Rusty is taking Sharon back to the hotel to get something to eat and catch a couple of hours of sleep."

"Good." Andy was sitting up in the bed. The nursing staff had let him off his back sometime during the middle of the night. Now that he could recline, he felt a lot better, but he still couldn't wait to get the hell out of there. "I don't think she slept more than half an hour all night. Every time I moved she was up, and if it wasn't me waking her up it was the damned nurses."

"Dad." Nicole shook her head at him. He was cranky, and she could understand it, but he didn't need to get his blood pressure up. "Be nice."

"What?" Andy shook his head. He sighed at her. "I was being nice," he grumbled. "They were in and out of here all night."

"No less than you deserve." Provenza shook a finger at him. "Do we need to go back over the list?"

Andy's lip curled. "Don't you have a plane to catch or something?"

"Nope." There was one other chair in the room, besides the one that Nicole was sitting in. Provenza walked over when Charlie vacated it and took a seat. He leaned back and steepled his fingers against his stomach as he got comfortable. "I have the whole rest of the weekend and nothing better to do but to sit right here."

While his children laughed, Andy's head fell back against the pillow with a groan. "God almighty!"

More than four hours passed before Sharon returned to the hospital. She had, in that time, showered and slept. Upon waking, she realized a couple of things. Ricky had returned with the camping gear, but only long enough to pick up Rusty. Her sons had made the trip to Morgan Bay to unload everything and return the SUV, and then driven back in Rusty's rental. They were seated in the common area of the small suite that Ricky had secured the previous evening when she woke up. The second thing she realized was that they were not comedians.

She might have still been exceptionally tired when she woke up, but she felt better than she had upon lying down. What Ricky did not have to do was comment on just how tired she still was. Rusty did not have to laugh at it either. She would get even with both of them at some point. For the time being she had only retrieved her bag and retreated into the bathroom. One shower and carefully applied makeup later, she couldn't completely hide her drawn look, but Ricky was no longer calling her the crypt keeper's spawn, although pointing out the state of his hair had hushed him up quickly enough.

They stopped for lunch on the way back to the hospital. Sharon had Rusty phone ahead, and they learned that the others had eaten while Andy had been taken for more tests. He wasn't back in his room yet, but they were expecting him any minute. Sharon decided that would give them plenty of time to get something decent.

When the three of them did finally arrive, it was to find Andy back in his room and Nicole already gone for the day. The doctor's report when he had come by during the mid-morning rounds had been good when he discussed Andy's morning labs. The afternoon tests had been to check the function of the heart. Charlie would call his sister with the full report of the heart-echo, but the preliminary report had been satisfactory too. Their father was doing much better, so she had gone home to be with her kids. Dean had assured them all that while worried, Tommy and Michael did not seem overly traumatized by the event. It helped, too, that they had been able to speak to their grandfather when Dean had called to check on everyone that morning.

Sharon was not at all surprised to find Andy's lunch tray pushed aside and untouched. The hospital's idea of a heart-healthy, vegetarian meal did not look the least appealing. She held up the bag in her hand as she approached his bed. "I brought you lunch."

Andy's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What is it?" She looked much better, he decided. He could still see how tired and concerned she was around the edges, but a few hours of sleep had done wonders for her. He would feel better when he could get out of there and get them both home. They had a lot to talk about, if his conversation with Provenza earlier was anything to go by. Andy wanted to make sure that Sharon was sure that she was doing what she wanted, and not having some kind of knee-jerk reaction to his getting ill.

"Something that you will eat," she drawled with a smile. Sharon placed it on the hospital tray and opened the bag. She set out for him an eggplant salad sandwich on whole grain, along with a small cup of tomato and basil soup. She drew the tray close to him and held a spoon just out of his reach. "Light mayo, no salt. But you will like it anyway," she informed him.

He pouted at her. "No salt?" Andy heaved a sigh as he took the spoon. "What did I ever do to you, woman."

Sharon hummed thoughtfully. "The list is long, and rather colorful, but we really shouldn't get into it in front of the Provenza." She was still smiling when she leaned over to kiss him. "You look better." She touched his cheek. "You shaved."

His grin was cocky. "I didn't want to scare the nurses." Andy waggled his brows at her. He had gotten a shower too, and that alone helped him feel much better. "I'm pretty sure the cute brunette likes me."

"Does she?" Sharon placed her hand against her hip and leaned the other against the bed, above his shoulder. "I thought we discussed the nurses?"

"You said not to touch." Andy pointed his spoon at her. "No one ever said I couldn't look."

"I'm completely convinced right now," Charlie observed, "That he just likes the adrenaline rush he gets from playing with danger." He was leaning against the window ledge with Ricky beside him. "That has to be it. Why else would he poke the bear?"

"I don't know." Ricky folded his arms across his chest. "If you ask me, he's braver than anyone knows." He slanted a look at the man that he was pretty sure would end up being his stepbrother before it was all said and done. "Good man that one. He's seen her without her makeup." Ricky gave an exaggerated shudder.

"Do you want to continue having access to the boat?" It was Andy that was glaring at him. "You just keep it up." He slipped the arm that was not laden down with an IV around Sharon and drew her closer. He would juggle eating with the other one, he decided. "I like her without makeup."

"Oh god." Provenza pushed out of his chair with a loud groan. "I'm getting out of here before you make me sick." He rolled his eyes at them. "I have some phone calls to make. I'll be back in a little while. You two behave, hands to yourselves and no scaring the nurses with that disgusting display." he admonished them. "Rusty, you're in charge."

They had chosen to ignore him, or at least Sharon had. His hair was sticking up in disarray. She smoothed her fingers through it with a low chuckle. "I think it may be time for a haircut."

"You may be right." His hand drifted to her hip. "What do you say to springing me out of here and we can go do that?" He gave her his brightest, and most charming smile.

"No way." Rusty turned on his heel to follow Provenza. "I'm not staying here with them. It starts with the flirting, and then there's the touching… Next thing we know, I'm going to the kitchen at three in the morning for water and they're making out on the counter. Charlie is in charge."

"Hey!" Ricky scowled after his brother. "How come he gets to be in charge?"

"I am the oldest," Charlie pointed out logically. "There is also the fact that your mother still likes me. I have not made any inappropriate remarks about her looks." His head tilted. "I am going to suggest that we get the hell out of here. They're about two seconds away from full make-out." He jerked his head toward the bed and the low sound of words being exchanged by two people whose heads were bent close together.

"Good point." Ricky moved quickly. He left the room with Charlie close on his heels. Really, they didn't need a sitter. It was probably best if they were left alone anyway.

Andy craned his head to look around Sharon as the hospital door closed behind their sons. "Wow, you can still clear a room with the best of them."

She poked his shoulder with a smirk. "I do my best. Now eat." Sharon moved away from him, but only far enough to sit on the edge of the mattress beside his legs.

He made a face at her. Andy eyed the sandwich with some curiosity. He poked it. "Is there really no salt?" He watched her eyebrows rise. The look in her eyes was one of warning. He sighed as he picked up half of the sandwich. "Fine."

"No, it isn't." Sharon leaned against the hospital tray opposite him. She propped her chin in her hand. "You had a heart attack, Andy. Some things are going to have to change. There are some people who would like to have you around for a while, and I happen to be one of them."

"I know." He reached across and took her other hand. "I get it. I don't like it, but I get it. I'd kind of like to be around for a while too. There are a lot of things that I still want to do." Getting the chance to continue loving her was at the top of that list. "A little Lieutenant bird told me that my diet isn't the only thing that is gonna be changing around here." He gave her a long look. "I already told you not to do that. Not if you aren't ready."

"I am." Of course they had talked about it in her absence. She must have been more exhausted than she thought to expect anything else from those two men. "It isn't going to be an easy adjustment, but a move like this never is. This isn't an impulsive decision. We agreed to discuss it after Rusty moves east. There isn't anything left to discuss, Andy. There are some arrangements that will need to be made, but I am confident that I can have everything in place before I leave to take Rusty to DC in June." Accompanying her children to their schools was something that she had done with Emily and Ricky too, when the two of them had left home many years before.

"What are you going to do?" Andy shook his head at her. "Have you thought about that? You can't tell me that you're actually ready to retire and sit around the house and, what? Knit booties for the grandkids? Come on, Sharon. I know you better than that."

"As a matter of fact," She straightened where she sat, and gave him a pointed look. "I have thought about it. What do think that I have been doing all of these months, Andy? You should not mistake my reticence for a lack of consideration. To your point, no, I absolutely do not intend to sit around knitting." Her nose wrinkled at the very idea. There was nothing wrong with that, but as he said, that was not for her. "I can do some consulting from home. There are a couple of firms that have responded well to the feelers that I, very quietly, put out while I was entertaining the idea. Or, while you are recuperating," she teased, "I can swoop in and steal your job. There are a number of possibilities open to me. I may be leaving one career, but that does not mean that I am giving it up completely."

"You keep your hands off my job." He pointed the spoon at her again. "I finally figured out a system for all that damned paperwork. You're not pushing me out of it now." The doc had even told him that there was no reason he couldn't go back to work, as long as he took it easy for the next few weeks and didn't push himself too hard. His gaze dropped to their still joined hands. "I don't want you to regret this," he said, voice rumbling quietly. "I want you up here, but I don't want you doing this just because I got sick. I want you to move because you want to."

"I am not going to tell you that all of this has not pushed me to consider all of the alternatives," Sharon admitted, "but the truth is that it did. I am not moving only because of this. I was already considering, Andy. I just needed to make up my mind, and now I have." Sharon leaned across the tray and cupped his cheek. "There were a lot of things keeping me in LA, but compared to what I almost lost, they simply are not that important." Her thumb stroked the curve of his jaw. "My life is evolving, and that is not always a bad thing. I hope that it will be very good, for both of us."

He took her hand and brought it to his lips. "So do I." She was sure. He could read the clarity in her gaze. Sharon had made up her mind and there would be no changing it. Andy wasn't even sure that he had it in him to try. He wanted her too damned much, and he was selfish enough to admit it. Because he loved her, he could question the choice, but he wouldn't turn her away. "You'll keep the condo?"

"Hm." She nodded. "We both still have friends and family in LA, and Rusty will want a place to stay when he visits too. So yes, we will keep the condo." She had purchased instead of leasing, so it was hers. It would bring a good price at market, but it wouldn't be a financial loss to keep it. They could easily maintain two homes, if one of them was just a getaway. "Any more questions?" Her eyes sparkled at him. A smile curved her lips.

Andy's eyes narrowed speculatively. "I'm sure that I'll think of something." He poked the sandwich in front of him again and gave her his best pout. "But no salt? Really? None at all? Have you even tried this?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "It cannot be that bad." Sharon reached over and tore a corner from the sandwich. She placed the bite in her mouth, ready to admonish him again. Her nose wrinkled instead. "We'll find you a substitute." She pushed it away from him and pushed his soup closer.

"I can't believe you tried to feed me that." He lifted the cup of soup and leaned back with it. "What kind of girlfriend are you?"

"The kind that is armed," Sharon reminded him. Her smile was almost saccharine. "Eat your soup Andy. Then you can tell me exactly what the doctor said when he was here this morning."

He sighed again. The soup was only slightly better than the sandwich. They were going to have to talk about this new diet. Rather than get into it now, however, he just dipped his spoon into it and said, "Yes dear."

 **MCMCMCMCMCMC**

On Monday afternoon Sharon was allowed to take Andy home. He was given strict instructions on diet and after care and told to follow-up with his regular cardiologist. Sharon had sent Rusty home on Saturday evening with the promise to call if anything changed. She wanted him to have time to rest and study before his Monday classes. Charlie had stayed until Sunday morning, since he lived farther away than his sister. By the time that he left it was apparent that his father was definitely feeling much better and on the mend, as evidenced by his ability to verbally spar with his former partner and simultaneously banter with his girlfriend. Lieutenant Provenza had left them the previous evening. Only Ricky had stayed. He provided the ride home on Monday, and once his mother and her boyfriend were settled, he too made his way back to his own respective town.

The first thing that Andy had done upon getting home was take a long, hot shower. Afterward he found his recliner and got comfortable in it. The damned thing was better than any hospital bed that he had ever experienced. While he had gotten settled in, complete with an old black and white movie playing on the television, he could hear Sharon puttering around in the kitchen. It was on the tip of his tongue to call out and ask what she was doing, but he had found his eyes heavy and his head beginning to droop.

When she came back into the living room, Sharon found him snoring in his chair. She shook her head and placed the two cups of tea that she had made for them on the table beside his chair. Sharon eased a hip onto the arm of his recliner and smiled down at him. Her fingers combed gently through his hair. He grunted quietly but hardly moved at all. She wasn't surprised; he was exhausted and didn't want to admit it. Sharon sat there for just a moment before she toed out of her shoes and eased into the recliner beside him. It was only just wide enough for her to manage to squeeze in between the long length of his body and the side of the chair. Sharon rested her head against his shoulder and sighed. Her hand settled against his chest, and beneath it she could feel the steady beating of his heart.

Sharon's eyes closed. She could feel the sting of tears behind them. It was a sense relief and so much more that filled her. She drew her bottom lip between her teeth and turned her face into his neck. Sharon inhaled deeply; her fingers clenched around his shirt. She exhaled quietly, carefully so as not to wake him. The familiar scent of his aftershave had filled her senses; gone was the sterile, antiseptic smell of the hospital, but it was not forgotten. Sharon took another steadying breath when she felt his arm curl around her. His hand moved up her back to draw her closer. She felt him shift and sigh beneath her, but gave no other sign of waking. Sharon burrowed closer and hummed quietly. She loosened her hold on his shirt and let her arm drape more comfortably around him. She concentrated on the warmth she could feel seeping back into her, and focused on the steady, even sound on his breathing. Within moments she was drifting, dozing comfortably, and completely content with the thought that the next time she left, it would only be temporary.

"I could get used to this." The words rumbled quietly through the silent living room when Andy woke up a little while later. He remembered turning on the movie and wondering where Sharon was, a question that was answered when he felt her shift against him. He lifted a hand and swept a few stray locks of hair away from her face. His other hand moved down her back to settle against her hip. When her eyes blinked open and she looked up at him, Andy smiled. "Hi."

"Hi." She snuggled close. Her feet were cold. She was careful of his sore right leg as she tucked them beneath his calves. "How do you feel?"

"Better now." His thumb swept beneath her sweater to stroke the soft skin above the waistband of her jeans. "A little rough. It's not so bad. How about you?"

"Hm." She lifted her head and propped it in her hand. "Better now." She studied him closely. His color was much better. The nap had done him some good; he looked more rested than when she had gotten him home. "Are you hungry?"

"That depends." He arched a brow at her. "What are you planning on feeding me?" They were still battling on the diet. He was willing to try certain aspects of it. She was pushing it all on him. They had not found a middle ground yet.

Her lips rubbed together while she considered that. "Steamed vegetables, whole grain rice, and a kale salad." His pained look made her chuckle quietly. "Vegetables and rice, we can discuss the kale later."

His bottom lip jutted out. "Make it brown rice and not the grain crap and you've got a deal. I'll even try the damned kale."

The corners of Sharon's mouth twitched toward a smile. He was going to be a grumpy patient, she knew. Transitioning to the new diet wouldn't be easy either. "Steamed vegetables, wild rice, garlic, but no salt. Deal?"

Andy sighed. "Fine." He would give her this one. Before she could move away from him, though, he lifted his hand to the back of her head. He drew her toward him and kissed her soundly. "Deal," he muttered against her mouth.

Sharon smiled brightly at him. She kissed his bottom lip, and then his chin, before she sat up and slipped over the side of the recliner. As she rounded the chair to walk into the kitchen, she stopped to pick up his cell phone when it began to ring. "It's your daughter," she said as she handed it to him.

Only the call from Nicole kept him from tugging her back into the recliner. Andy sat up in the chair as he answered it. His eyes followed Sharon as she disappeared into the kitchen. "Hey kid, how's it going?"

Sharon listened to his side of the conversation as she moved around the kitchen preparing their dinner. Nicole was checking on him again. It sounded like she wanted to bring the boys so that they could see for themselves that he was okay. Sharon listened to Andy put her off for another day; he wanted one more day to rest and get back on his feet before entertaining the whirlwinds that were his grandsons. That didn't surprise her. When the boys were around he was just a big kid too. As Sharon pulled out fresh vegetables for steaming, she decided that they would try that camping trip again in a few weeks, when he was stronger. Perhaps they would do it again at the beginning of the summer. She could be moved and settled by then.

Her thoughts drifted a bit, but the sound of laughter drew her back. It brought a smile to her lips, that familiar, deep sound. Sharon's lips pursed. Andy might be on to something, she decided. She could get used to this.

 **-TBC-**


	13. Chapter 13

**Come the Rain**

 **by Kadi**

 **Rated: M**

 **Disclaimer:** It isn't my sandbox. It is my favorite place to play, however.

* * *

 **Chapter 13 – Epilogue**

Andy watched the sky with some concern as he left the police station. The clouds that had been building off the coast were moving closer. The storm was promising to be a good one. It would be the first real rain of the summer, and they needed it. The spring and early summer months had been too dry, and the storm promised to unload a few inches of much needed rain. They would weather the damaging winds and power outages that it would bring in exchange for that precipitation.

The road to recovery had not been an altogether easy one, but it was not overly terrible either. It just reminded him that he was not as young as he used to be. When he had first gone back to work, he found that he tired more easily. That had passed, but it had given him pause. He thought more about retirement more than he used to. This job was never meant to be a permanent one; it was just something to fill his days at a time when he was not ready to be completely without his badge.

Andy wasn't sure that he was entirely ready for that step yet, but the thought was there. The idea no longer filled him with dread. It was something to look forward to.

At the moment, he was more concerned about that storm. He kept an eye on the clouds as he made his way home. He had a couple of officers on duty for the evening, and the rest of his small department was going to be on call throughout the night. He was planning to get home before it hit. He wasn't the only one with that idea, he realized, and noticed as he drove through town that some of the shops and businesses had closed early. Fewer people out and about later in the evening would be a good thing. It would be less to worry about once the storm rolled in.

As he pulled into his driveway, his concern gave way. A smile split his face at the sight of a familiar sedan. Andy parked his car alongside it and slid out of the vehicle. He shrugged out of his jacket as he walked toward the house. Once he was inside, Andy dropped the jacket on the back of the couch. He pulled off his badge and gun and left them laying on the breakfast bar and walked through the house, looking for the owner of that sedan. He wasn't surprised to find her on the back deck. It was her favorite place.

She was watching the storm roll in. Andy moved behind her and let his arms slide around her waist. He drew her back, grinning as the wind lifted her hair. "I thought I told you to stay in LA." He hadn't thought she would make it home before the storm, and he hadn't wanted her on the road when it hit.

"I considered it." Sharon settled back against him. She drew his arms around her, but her gaze remained on the dark horizon. She had only gotten home from taking Rusty to DC the day before. She had driven down at the beginning of the week to help him pack. The months preceding his move had been spent in moving herself. The rest of what she could not live without was in the two boxes she had brought with her from Los Angeles. Afterward she had officially closed up the condo and started north. "It was a long week," she said. "I was ready to be home."

"How's the kid?" He turned his face into her neck and let his lips brush the soft skin beneath her ear. "Did you get him settled?" They had only spoken briefly before and after she had gotten on the plane back to LA. Andy knew that she was coping with the move. When she had dodged his questions with only the most basic answers, he had let it go. She would talk about it when she got home.

"He's good." Her arms tightened around his. Sharon drew a breath and let it out slowly. She already missed him terribly. Rusty was so excited, though, it was hard to not be excited for him. "You should have seen him; the way his eyes lit up when he saw that campus." She chuckled softly. "He couldn't push me out the door fast enough."

"I don't believe that." He held her more tightly. "He's going to miss you, too." Andy kissed the side of her head and let his eyes lift toward the horizon. The storm was getting closer. It would be upon them soon. "How many times has he called?"

"Twice." Sharon smiled warmly. There had been numerous text messages too. Her boy was settling in well. He was going to be okay, and so was she. Sharon rested her head against Andy's shoulder. The rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance and was moving closer. "The apartment is bigger than the pictures made it seem. They didn't do it justice. It's in an old brownstone. He couldn't be happier."

"Good." He was just glad to have her home. Living together was an adjustment. It was certainly a lot different than their brief visits, but he had gotten used to having her around. Sharon worked from home. She had turned one of the spare rooms into an office, but he found her on the deck with her computer more often than he found her in her office, weather permitting. Consulting gave her a lot of free time, more than she had when she was still a Police captain. She spent a good deal of it on the kids. When she wasn't with Nicole or Ricky, she was flying to New York to visit Emily. While it had seemed a little daunting at first, her move had ended up being good for them all. The firm she worked for was based in LA, so she flew down at least once a month. Andy usually accompanied her.

Now that Rusty had moved, he expected that their schedules would settle down some. They could finally take the grandsons camping again. His hands rubbed up and down her arms. The air was becoming more humid. Andy's hands curled around Sharon's. His thumb swept over the ring on her left finger. He had put it there just a few weeks before. Planning a wedding might be something else they would have more time for now. Time wasn't infinite, but they had a lot more of it. The ticking clock was finally silent. She wasn't going anywhere. Neither was he.

The wind picked up, and with it, a few drops of rain fell around them. Andy turned his face into Sharon's hair. "We should go in," he told her. "It's going to rain."

The sky was becoming angrier. The sight mesmerized her, but then, it always had. Her head tilted as she watched it. Sharon settled comfortably against him again. She could smell the moisture in the air. There was something sweet and just a bit alluring about how clean the air felt and smelled right before it rained. Her eyes closed. A smile curved her lips. She shook her head slowly as she turned in his embrace.

The last few months had been very busy for them. She had transitioned out of a job that she never expected to leave, but she had done it happily with the knowledge that her life was evolving. If Lieutenant Provenza called her twice a week to complain about the fact that he saw more paperwork now than should exist, she only laughed each time she answered the phone. One day, he would get the hang of the budget reports.

Her new job was fulfilling in a way that it gave her something to do, but still left her free to explore all of the changes in her life. She liked having more time for her children. Afternoon coffee with Ricky and weekend shopping trips with Emily had become a luxury that she would never take for granted. She had enjoyed having the time to help Rusty make his move. To be able to take days to help him pack, and then be able to travel with him without the thought looming over her head that she might have to rush back for a case. While there were some parts of her former career that she missed, she was embracing all of the good that had come from retiring from the LAPD.

The man in front of her was certainly one of those things. Sharon's arms wound around his waist. She tipped her head back to smile up at him. There were definitely moments when he tried her patience, and she was certain that the same was true of her for his. She wouldn't give him up. They argued, and they talked, they laughed, and they loved. He had the best view in town, and even watching a storm roll in, she didn't miss her balcony. She would have it again the next time that they were in Los Angeles, but she had come to love the waves, the cliffs, and the trees far more than she ever loved the gleaming glass and steal of the city.

A few more drops of moisture fell around them. This time Sharon felt one of them hit her hand. She shook her head as she leaned up to touch her lips to the tip of his chin. She had missed him this week, but it was not the crushing weight of loneliness that she had felt before. She wanted to tell him all that was happening. She wanted to share it with him. She could do that now. She could tell him how many times that Rusty had packed and unpacked before settling on what he was taking east with him. She could tell him about staying up all night with her son over a box of pizza and cans of soda because he was too excited to sleep. She could describe the look of abject bliss on Rusty's face as he got his first look at his new city, and the peace that had settled over him when they stepped onto campus. She would tell him about the silent tears she cried on the way back to the airport, and the moment of terror she felt as the plane lifted off and her baby was left behind.

Sharon could also explain that she had left early and was almost halfway home by the time that he told her to stay in Los Angeles. She could tell him that she had needed him, and wanted to be home just as badly as he wanted her there. She did not know if she could put to words her elation upon crossing into Morgan Bay, or her relief upon stepping into the house. She would say that she loved him and this life that they were still building.

There were so many words that were circling around in her head and her heart, and beginning to take form on her tongue. She could tell Andy all of those things and more, but he would already know most of it. He would know her. He wouldn't push. He would wait. It was just what he did. They began this journey together years ago, and while they had not always moved at the same pace, they were always on the same path. His stride was longer, and sometimes hers was faster, but as long as they were going in the same direction, they always found their way.

For now the wind was picking up around them, and Sharon was just happy to be back in his arms. As his hands cupped her face, she smiled again. "Let it come," she told him, "I like the rain."

 ** _~FIN_**

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Thank you all again. It has been a joy to share this. I have so much appreciation for you all!


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